Discover the Darkness
by Rubber Ducky17
Summary: DHr. 'You preach your morals and look down on those who don't follow your twisted visions of right and wrong. Sometimes Darkness is the answer. I happen to think you're pathetic.'
1. You Only Live Once

**Summary:** When the top three Hogwarts students are selected to spend the year studying at the Durmstrang Institute of Magic, Hermione Granger is thrilled. Until she realizes who will be accompanying her. In a school full of death eaters, with only a blood traitor for protection, can she survive the entire year?

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter or any characters common to my story and J.K. Rowling's books.

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**Chapter 1**

**You Only Live Once**

Hermione Granger hunched over her crowded desk examining a large envelope that had been recently delivered by a large tawny owl. The letter bore the Hogwarts seal and Hermione wasted no time ripping it open to read its contents. Her mind raced at what could be in the letter. The middle of July was hardly the time for Hogwarts to send her 6th year booklist. That was as likely as her being Head Girl in only her 6th year.

'_Maybe I am Head Girl,' _she thought to herself, thrilled at the prospect of responsibility and power she would receive with the position. The heads had always been chosen from the 7th year students, which would make her the first 6th year to ever be Head Girl in the history of Hogwarts. Making Hermione the Head Girl would cause a lot of controversy. The entire Slytherin house would thirst for her blood and, most likely, they'd get it. The golden trio, as many other students at Hogwarts called them, weren't always together, contray to popular belief. There was alot of time for the Slytherin house to successfully plot her demise. Harry and Ron wouldn't always protect her from the house of cunning gits.

Speaking of cunning Slytherins, how did she know this letter wasn't full of anthrax? A Slytherin may lower themselves to using a muggle invention to try and kill her. As much as they despised muggles, they seemed to despise her, a muggleborn witch, even more. _Stop being so paranoid, Granger, _she rationalized, though she didn't doubt that any given Slytherin might attempt to murder her. Actually, being the summer, the Slytherins would be smart to plan her assassination now so they wouldn't get in trouble with the professors or be taken to Azkaban.

She gently slipped the letter from its snug home inside the envelope, still very much aware of the possibility of anthrax, and began to carefully examine the contents of the page in front of her.

_Dear Miss Granger,_

_We are pleased to inform you of a new program availible this year. In cooperation with the Durmstrang Institute of Magical Study and Beauxbatons School of Magic, we have started an exchange student program. The top three students of the year will be attending the Durmstrang Institute while other students who wish to be involved in the program with attend Beauxbatons. If for any reason one of the top three students does not wish to attend, the fourth student will take their place. In exchange for our brightest, the top three students from Beauxbatons will be coming to Hogwarts and those of Durmstrang shall be attending Beauxbatons. Hopefully, if the program continues in the coming years, we shall host students from all schools, including less known schools._

_In this program, you will be spending your 6th year attending the Durmstrang Institute of Magical Study. Since their school year commences on the 15 of August, we ask that you reply as soon as possible so your enrollement can be finalized. Courses are much the same as at Hogwarts and once you enroll, we will be sending you the required book list.. We suggest those who will be attending Durmstrang to pack warm clothing as it had a much colder climate. Also, since the Durmstrang school year is shorter, students will return to Hogwarts to attend the last weeks of school at Hogwarts. They may attend class but will be exempt from all Hogwarts exams._

_Students are expected to be on their best behavior while studying abroad. I remind you that your actions reflect upon our school. The headmaster at Durmstrang will inform us of all that happens while you are abroad. Mishaps shall hurt your chances of being Head girl/boy upon your return in the 7th year._

_If you chose to participate in the program, all medical information will be shared with the medi-witches at the Durmstrang institute. They will be aware of your situation, Miss Granger, and will be able to treat you to the best of their abilities._

_Please send word back with this owl on which school you shall be attending this coming fall. Several informational packages have been included with this letter to answer any additional questions you may have._

_Albus Dumbledore_

_Headmaster_

_Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry._

A slight frown marred her delicate features as she quietly pondered the letter. The top three students of the 6th year happened to be her, Blaise Zabini, and the despicable ferret, Draco Malfoy.Spending a year with no company except two Slytherins was not an ideal situation for the Muggle-born Gryffindor. Would the pure-blood Slytherins consider going with a mudblood like herself. She grinned, knowing Malfoy would rather kiss one of her best friends and his worst enemy, Harry Potter, before spending a year in her company. The thought of Malfoy kissing Harry was an amusing, though slightly disturbing, thought. _They'd both have to be really drunk, _she said to herself, mentally. Zabini was a giant question mark. His loyalties were unknown, he rarely spoke in class, and he seemed to hate Malfoy. A Slytherin hating Malfoy is like little children hating Santa Claus. If he really did hate Malfoy, the trip might not be so bad, if she had an ally against the Slytherin Prince.

Maybe Malfoy sent it as a trick? Maybe when she went for the first day, he would capture her and lock her in Malfoy Manor so he could be top in year. Quite a devious plan, almost cunning enough to be composed by a Slytherin. Durmstrang has a reputation of rarly accepting muggleborn students, also, rather than learn about it, they teach their students the Dark Arts. Many death eaters got their starts at the infamous school. It surprised her that Malfoy wouldn't be sent there from the beginning, get an early start so he could be just like his father, Lucius Malfoy.

Still, if the letter was legitamite and she didn't go in hopes of avoiding Malfoy's devious ploy, she would lose out on a great oppurtunity. Plus travelling abroad was something she had always wanted to do. The school would be funding the entire trip (Not that Malfoy needed to be funded. He could probably buy Howarts if he felt like it.) so not a pound would some out of her pocket except fo the cost of school books. She couldn't let Malfoy win. Even if she had uncovered his true plan and this is an ambush, she give reason for his ego to grow any bigger since he would obviously think she wasn't going because of him. The best case scenerio would be that Malfoy dies before the trip (Or just doesn't go. Either is fine) and she, Zabini, and student #4 go on the Durmstrang trip.

She speedily penned her response to Hogwarts, informing them that she would participate in the program and attend Durmstrang. She should have informed her parents of the oppurtunity but decided she would tell them later. It wouldn't make much of a difference anyways. The people she was truly worried about telling were her best friends Ronald Weasley, Ginny Weasley, and Harry Potter. How would they react to the fact she'd be spending a year with two Slytherins, let alone of the Slytherins being Draco malfoy, himself. She shrugged off her nervous feelings. It was her desicion and they didn't have any say in the matter.

_Why the bloody hell not? You only live once. I'm old enough to make my own desicions, right?_

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Draco Malfoy sat on the comfortable leather couch situated in the parlor of Malfoy Manor. He clutched the Hogwarts letter, examining its contents for the seventh time, debating whether of not he should go. It would be a good oppurtunity for future employment and making some new allies. Durmstrang was regarded as a Pure Blood school, before they began admitting muggleborn students almost two years ago. _That was a damn pity, _he mused. A school without muggleborns was the school for him. It took much persuation from his mother to get him to attend Hogwarts in the first place. She insisted that he go to the school she and Lucius had attended, as a family tradition. Lucius cared little about his schooling, though he would have somewhat rather Draco went to Durmstrang to prepare him for his 'future'. Not that it mattered anymore since Lucius was currently rotting away in Azkaban because of Potter and his happy helpers.

_'Some Future', _he thought. How bloody fantastic. Serving a coward who treats his followers as bad as his enemies. What a privilige. While Draco agreed with some of the Dark Lord's principles, ridding the world of muggles and mudbloods for example, he could never bring himself to be a servant to someone. Malfoys HAD servant. They were definitly not servants, not even to someone one fancied themselves as the messiah of the entire wizarding world. A self-proclaimed messiah was, in his opinion, an fool. Take Potter for instance.

He forced his eyes back towards the letter currently in his hands. One line in particular stuck out amungst the other assorted words on the page.

_'The top three students of the year will be attending the Durmstrang Institute of Magical Study' _

He read that one line many times over. The top three 6th years meant he would be traveling with the mudblood and that git, Zabini. Zabini was one of the few Slytherins who hated him, the Slytherin Prince, dispised the Dark Lord, and had little interest in blood purity. Why was he even sorted into Slytherin? Shouldn't he have been some bloody Hufflepuff? He usually referred to Zabini as, 'The Slytherin Traitor or ' That Bloody Prat'. Needless to say, Zabini spent almost as much time in the library as Granger to avoid his fellow Slytherins but he hasn't accomplished his goal of unseating the Slytherin Prince as the second smartest of their year. The only thing that saved him from being pulverized were the damn girls. He could care less how 'dreamy' Blaise was but each time he suggested something particularily malicious involving Blaise, Pansy and her gang would yell his bloody ear off until he agreed not to lay a finger on Blaise. Usually he'd just do it anyways unless Pansy was in a particularily murderous mood, which happened alot of the time.

It was even worse when that wretched toad made the Slytherin Quidditch team as a Chaser. He did everything in his power to get Zabini thrown off the team (Like that time he bewitched the fool's broom and made it do the opposite of what Zabini commanded. Git flew right into he goalpost. That was a great day.), but to his disappointment, the traitor had some skill that couldn't be ignored by any Quidditch captain. Draco, himself, was supposed to be the captain this year so if he chose to go to Durmstrang, someone else would replace him for the year. Atleast it wouldn't be the traitor, if he chose to come too.

_Mudblood probably won't go, considering the fact that I will also be attending. Zabini, that bloody prat, won't try anything to risk him not being named Head boy so he will either be civil or not go. It would be a good oppurtunity and I would be a fool to pass it up because of a childish rivalry._

He hastily tied the parchement with his response to the tawny Hogwarts owl and sent it off, hoping he made the right decision. Lucius would be thrilled he was attending a school that taught the Dark Arts, if only for a year. His mother, Narcissa Malfoy, might protest but he knew she would let him go. His mother had never been fond of the Dark Arts despite being in a family so closely associated with the Dark Lord himself. She tried to steer Draco clear of that path but Lucius wanted to ensure the Malfoys would always be close with Voldemort. Lucius raised him to be perfectly bred for a life in the Dark Arts. Before he went to Hogwarts, he was required to read many books involving spells and curses, he even had to memorize some on Lucius' order.

_Mudblood better not come or I might not be able to survive the year_

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The month of July passed too quickly for the scholarly girl. She pursuaded her parents into letting her go for her last week before starting at Durmstrang to spend time with Harry, Ron, and Ginny at the Burrow. Telling them about the program was harder than she thought it would be. While the Weasleys were all rather supportive, it was Harry who was reluctant to give her his blessing to go.

"What if Malfoy goes. He'll make it a living hell for you. You can't be seriously thing of going, can you Mione?", Harry pleaded, his eyes resembling those of a small, lost puppy. "We won't pass anything without you there".

"Malfoy won't want to spend the year with a muggleborn and I'd appricate it if you could leave it alone. I'm going", Hermione replied, her tone carrying a sense of finality. "And you'll both do fine in your classes if you actually pay attention and take notes". Her squirmed under Harry's scrutinizing gaze. She knew exactly why he wanted her to stay at Hogwarts. He had been unnaturally clingy to his two best friends wince the death of his godfather, Sirius Black. He wanted to protect the female member of the Golden Trio, as the other Hogwarts students called them. Sometimes she just wished he would stop playing the bloody hero and trust her.

"Thats a pretty big if, Hermione", Ron said. "But I guess I can always find someone else to give me their notes. Dunno, I can bully come Ravenclaw into it or somethin'."

Hermione scoffed at the thought. "Now I feel very wanted, Ron. Beside, Ravenclaws aren't there to be your personal note-takers. They are merely intelligent and hold value in knowledge."

He lazily threw his arm over her shoulder, "This is what I'll miss most next year. Your lectures are always the high points of my day."

Harry said nothing but gave her a pointed look that clearly stated that 'this is not over'. And it most definitly wasn't. Almost everyday, Harry found a new, and even most exciting, reason not to attend Durmstrang. Her favorite was his theory that Voldemort himself would come to Durmstrang and cast a Confundus charm on her, making her believe that she was in love with Malfoy and she would become a Death Eater. She laughed loudly when he told her that theory three days before she was due to leave.

"It could happen!", Harry argued through breakfast that it was a very possible scenerio. Ginny excused herself from the table and peals of laughter could be heard from the other room. She returned several minutes later, her face still somewhat matching her hair.

"Just leave it alone and let us enjoy the time we have left before she leaves" Ron said dully, poking his sausages around his plate. Harry gave him an annoyed look but quieted down and sat glaring at his eggs for the rest of the meal.

If anything, she had expected it to be the other way around, with Harry being the calm one and Ron sputtering excuses why she shouldn't go. Ron almost had a heart attack when she began dating her first boyfriend, a Ravenclaw whose name she preferred to forget. When Ron found out about their relationship, he convinced Harry that this guy wasn't good enough for Hermoine and set out to convince the poor Ravenclaw the same. They returned to the common room several hours later, looking very pleased with themselves Needless to say, he broke up with her the next day while Ron sat absentmindly cracking his knuckles beside the pale boy as he stammered his excuse for ending their relationship. They only went out for a week so while she had been somewhat annoyed, she didn't really care.

After breakfast was finished, Harry and the Weasley boys went out for a quick game of Quidditch while Ginny and Hermione washed the dishes left over from dinner. They did their work silently until Hermione, who was rather sick of only hearing dishes clanging together and the occasional moan from the ghost in the attic, decided to break the silence.

"Harry is being a bloody git about this Durmstrang thing" Hermione exclaimed in a fit of unusually angry rage. The youngest Weasley could see the flame dancing in Hermione's eyes. A fire that was usually reserved for Malfoy or Snape of someone who equally annoyed her, not one of her best friends.

"He's only looking out for you", Ginny interjected, hoping not to be the victim of the older girl's temper. She felt compelled to defend Harry. She understood where he was coming from. Sure he was a little extreme and unnaturally Mad-Eye Moody-ish (Constant Vigulince!) but he just wanted her to be safe.

"I don't care anymore.", She huffed. "For once, I wish he would stop trying to be the bloody hero. I wish he would trust me to take care of myself. I just wish he'd let me live my life with out constantly making descions for me. I want to be more than 'Harry Potter's best friend. Is that too much too ask?"

Ginny was astonished. How long had she felt like this? She remained silent letting the clanking of dishes and the jublient shouts coming from outside sooth her mind. She nodded at Hermione, urging her to continue. Which she did.

"Don't get me wrong, I love Harry and Ron but they suffocate me sometimes" Hermione explained to the redhead. With Ron as her brother, she probably understood what she felt like. Ginny had more than her share of relationships and Ron usually found a major flaw in every single guy.

Ginny looked at the girl in front of her. She looked exhausted, frustrated, and somewhat murderous. She sighed softly, she was too nice for her own good.

"Then what are we waiting for", she smirked mischieviously. "You leave on the 15th, right? We can go down to Diagon Ally and book a room at the Leaky Cauldron and stay there till you leave. We'll ask mom and dad before we leave. It'll give you a chance to cool down"

Hermione glowed at the prospect. She needed to escape Harry for a bit. He was being an insufferable prick about Durmstrang and she did not want him ruining the last two days of her vacation.

"Its a plan", she grinned. "Where are you mom and dad?" Neither girl would want to risk leaving without telling Molly Weasley. Her Howlers were famous in the wizarding world even since the first year, when Fred and George received a particularily nasty one during breakfast one morning. If they left, they would definitly be on the receiving end of the howler. Though, Harry might still send her one for leaving without telling him. Ron vowed never to send a Howler to anyone after the embarrasing incident in the second year when Harry and Ron had driven a flying car to Hogwarts. Malfoy and his lackeys had teased him for weeks regarding that Howler. He would never wish it on anyone so he might be able to convince Harry not to send her one.

Hermione spared a quick glance towards the Weasley family clock that stated where each member of the Weasley family was at the moment. The hand for Mrs. Weasley was pointed in the direction of 'Home'. The two girls set out to find the older woman, in hopes of pursuading her to allow them to go to Diagon Alley unaccompayed. They weaved through each room of the tiny house, never laying eyes on Molly. Arthur Weasley would have been the better parent to ask since he was much more lenient about the rules than his strict wife but he was currently at the Ministry, dealing with the latest disaster in the Miuse of Muggle Artifacts department.

After several minutes, Hermione and Ginny walked outside to discover Molly was currently attending to the gnomes attacking her garden. She halted her activites when the two girls walked towards her, something in their expressions told her they wanted to ask her something.

"Hey mom", Ginny said, somewhat sheepishly. "We were kind of wonder if we could go to Diagon Alley and stay at the Leaky Cauldron until Mione has to leave." Mrs. Weasley stood and faced the two girls in front of her. While she tried to remain calm and collected, her face slowly started to resemble her fiery red hair, betraying her emotions and making the girls step back in fear.

"Why, with all the death eaters running around the world, would you even consider asking that question" Molly Weasley asked, her voice was now somewhat hoarse, as though she were tring to contain herself and stop herself from screaming at them.

Ginny looked at her friend. The hopeful look that shone in her eye was now replaced by a cold fire, one that suggested she would stop at nothing to acchieve her goal. She looked Mrs. Weasley straight in the eye, a sign of aggression to most canines.

"I guess thats reasonable. Who could always ask Fred and George to accompany us. They are part of the Order" Hermione smirked at the older woman. She would never let the twins take them to Diagon Alley. Fred and George would be sure to get them kicked out of the hotel. The twins were rarely allowed in Diagon Alley anymore, since it was a great place to replenish their supplies of Dung Bombs and other misscellaneus pranking equipment. It was bad enough that they made their own now.

Molly Weasley had a horrible ultimatum. Her eyes never left Hermiones chocolate brown orbs as she mulled over her options. Letting the girls go by themselves seemed like the lesser of two evils, but with all the dangers, it would be extremely dangerous to allow two underage witches to go to Diagon Alley alone, Although now, Diagon Alley was patrolled by aurors and had anti-apparation wards that would make Gringotts proud. They would have their wands as a last defense so they wouldn't be absolutely hopeless. She sighed, realizing what little choice she truely had. If the terrible twins accompanied them, there would be hell to pay. Dung bombs set off at every street corner, drunken brawls (One of Fred's new inventions, tricks whoever eats a mint into thinking they're drunk and the person beside them has greatly offended them) and not to meantion they would sleep on the streets since Fred and George would get them kicked out of any hotel they stayed at. Yes, the girls would be better of going without the troublesome twins.

"I guess you can go", Molly Weasley sighed. "But please, Hermione, protect my Ginny."

Hermione nodded, "Mrs. Weasley, I assure you that theres a reason why I'm called one of the smartest witches Hogwarts has ever seen." Ginny rolled her eyes at both her mother and her friend and both girls trapsed out of the garden towards their room to pack. It was their goal to be packed and leave before the boys returned from Quidditch so they couldn't object to their trip.

Hermione threw all her supplies and clothing into her trunk at a rapid pace. She drug her immensly heavy trunk down towards fireplace, where she found Ginny waiting with a pot of Floo powder. Molly Weasley took an oppurtunity to give both girls a fierce hug and last minute instructions.

"Don't do anything Harry would do while at Durmstrang. Remember, you're an ambassator of the school and the country" Molly Weasley chided the young woman.

Hermione simply smiled and nodded at the woman who was like a second mother to her. Without hesitation, she grabbed a handful of Floo powder an stepped into the flames.

"Diagon Ally", she shouted. Ron and Harry walked into the room just in time to see her disappear into the flames. Harry's face contorted into an expression of rage. "Why the hell did she leave? She still had two days left", Harry began shouting but was quickly cut off by Ginny.

"She doesn't want to spend anymore time arguing with you." she spat, "Just let her spend the rest of her vacation in peace."

"Oh, forgive me for trying to protect my best friend" he hissed mockingly, "I don't want her too die. I would have thought you wouldn't have wanted that either"

"Everyones going to die, aren't they Harry? Is that the only thing you think about? Everyone dies. All you can do is enjoy the time you have left. Stop trying to protect everyone and let them live their own lives. Is it really her you're protecting? or are you trying to protect yourself?". She walked briskly over the the fireplace and grabbed a handful of floo powder. She shouted, "Diagon Alley" and disappeared into the green flames.

Harry stared into the flames, shocked by Ginny's words. What was he protecting himself from? That girl didn't make any sense. He felt Ron pat his back reassuringly but he continued to stare at the embers, that had now returned to a redish hue. He was somewhat angry that Hermione left without saying goodbye.

_But friends forgive. What kind of person would I be if I didn't forgive her?_

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Draco Malfoy sat quietly in the corner of the Leaky Cauldron, slowly sipping his mug of Butterbeer. He decided he would rather spend the rest of his summer in the dump most people called 'The Leaky Cauldron' than with his mother at the manor. She used every moment they spent together to try and convince him to stay at Hogwarts, as he had suspected she would. It had grown rather tiresome so late one night, he pinned a note to the mantle in the parlor, explaining his whereabouts, and flooed to Diagon Alley. She had presented no logical reason for him to stay at Hogwarts when he had the oppurtunity to experience a different school. Malfoys valued logic and her arguement had none. He had to admit that he took the cowardly option to leave. Malfoys were many things but never cowards. Well, almost never.

The embers of the fireplace across the room suddenly turned a bright hue of green, announcing the arrival of a witch/wizard. Draco stared with mild disapointment at the flames. Diagon Ally was almost peaceful without the mass of students preparing for the start of Hogwarts. He never spent too much time in Diagon Ally without needing to purchase his school supplies. Shopping was not an interesting pass time and it amazed his how his mother could shop for hours straight and never tire.

The flames returned to their original. A woman stood beside the fireplace, one with a massive trunk. Her faces hidden by shadow but Draco could see her slim form rather clearly. She looked to be3 around the same age as him, give or take a year. He considered asking her to join him for a mug of butterbeer. Over the summer, he grew to miss the female attention he received at Hogwarts, being so deviously handsome, he received quite alot. Hopefully, the girls at Durmstrang would think the same. He would need somewhere to go. Apparently, the Hogwarts exchange students would be sharing a common room, so he would need plenty of places to escape the two other students.

She stood beside the fireplace for several minutes, doing absoluely nothing. She seemed to be waiting for someone to join her, if the incessant tapping of her foot was any indication. Finally, the embers once again turned bright green and another young woman stepped out of the embers. Studying them, his glance fell upon the newcomers faming red hair. _Oh Merlin. _It was a damn Weasley which meant that the other girl was probably Granger. Of course the only two females in the entire pub would be them. Just his luck. But why would they come a month early for school supplies? Unless...

"Damn it", he whispered to himself. "Durmstrang". Bloody hell, the mudblood was going too. How utterly brilliant. He was sure she wouldn't even think about going to a foreign country with two Slytherins but the damn girl felt the need to prove him wrong again. No doubt Granger and Zabini would skip around having lovely mudblood praising sessions and lecture everyone they laid eyes on about good morales and whatever else they feel like wasting people's time with. He could handle Zabini, hell, he could even handle Granger. But it would take all his patience to survive a day with the two, let alone an entire year of misery. Now he was sure both were going, after seeing Zabini in Diagon Alley earlier that day, and now seeing Granger.

He drained his Butterbeer and stalked towards his suite. _Melin, help me survive this year_

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Hermione instantly wrinkled her nose as she appeared in the fireplace of the Leaky Cauldron. It seemed everytime she came to this dump, it looked and smell worse than it had the previous time. She stepped out of the now-red embers and impatiently waited for her red-haired friend.

_Bah, _she thought _whats taking that girl so long. Its enough to drive me insane._

She took a tentative look around the busy pub, studying her surroundings. The seedy pub was filled with many men, young and old but hardly any women. And who says theres no proof as to what the better gender is? She found it rather pathetic for them to be getting smashed silly in the middle of the afternoon. She considered speaking to some of the more sober men about the inportance of clean living but the fireplace caught her attention when it returned to its bright green hue. Ginny stepped out, looking oddly discheveled and frustrated. hermoine thought better than to ask and simply suggested they book their room and go shopping for the day.

The pair made their way over to the desk to negociate a price with the barkeep, Tom. Hermione insisted on paying for the room since it was her fault they were staying there. After paying him the twelve sickles and four knuts they owed, they manoevered Hermoine's large trunk throught the narrow corridor and into their room on the third floor.

The two girls decided to spend some time shopping and picking up school supplies in Diagon Alley. Hermione utterly refused to step into any store before visiting Flourish and Blott's bookshop. Ginny shared the same dislike for books as her brother, Ron had so it took alot of persuation on Hermione's part to get her to agree. Grinning at her victory, she skipped down Diagon Alley towards Flourish and Blotts. Her grin faltered when she remembered the terms she agreed upon in order to visit her beloved bookstore. Why would anyone in their right mind spend good money on superfical things like clothes or 'dress robes' as Ginny prefered to refer to them as. Still, a deals a deal and now she not only had to try on dress robes, she had to buy some.

So many books in one place! If there is a heaven, which there is no scientific proof for, this would have to be it. She fluttered around the store, weaving throught the many different aisles, stopping at any books that caught her fancy. She stopped inthe transfiguation aisle and began to browse for books on her favorite subject. She traced the spine of each book loveingly. They possesed such great knowledge and yet there were people who didn't care for them. She would save as many as possible from the cruel fate of being bought by someone who could care less about their power. She scooped up five books, being the highest amount she could buy at the moment. She would have been able to afford one more if it wasn't for the stupid dress robes. Just think of how many she could buy if she didn't have to buy new quills and other school products. A frown immediately appeared on her face. Books were important, yes, but without quills she wouldn't be able to do her homework. She placed one book back in its place on the shelf. If she had enough money, she'd come back later and buy it. She swiftly turned and began to march towards the counter when she crashed into someone in her path. She fell to the ground from the impact, her books scattering everywhere. A hand descended and Hermione latched onto it and pulled herself up. She came face to face with a well known Slytherin, Blaise Zabini.

"Sorry, are you all right?", he asked her caustiously. He bent down and collected the scattered books until every one was accounted for. He carefully stacked the books securly back into her arms. He himself had quite a collection of books he was buying, mostly on the subject of charms.

"I'm fine." she stated, gently brushing herself off with one hand. He didn't seem like he recognized or felt comfortable starting a converation with a Gryffindor so she decided to iniciate a disscussion. "Are you Blaise Zabini?". She knew perfectly well who he was but decided that would be the safest way to start a converation.

"Yes. You're Hermione Granger, right?", Blaise replied, adsentmindly shuffling his feet nervously.

"Yup", she said. "Are you excited about the Durmstrang trip?"

"You're going?" he questioned bluntly, as though he had expected her to be attending Hogwarts. "Not that you shouldn't", he started. "I just assumed you wouldn't want to go with two Slytherins. Especially since Malfoy is going". I guess everyone knew how much she and her friends (she and most Gryffindors actually) hated Malfoy. A grin appeared on her face as she recalled the great view of the Quidditch pitch from Gryffindor tower, a view she and Harry had used to its full advantage in their fifth year. During a Slytherin Quidditch practice, she and Harry sat by the common room window and managed to bewitch Malfoy's broom. for about an hour, his broom did amazing loops and dives around to Quidditch. It even flew right into front a bludger 'on its own accord'. The weeks it had taken to learn that complicated spell had been completely worth it. While nothing was even proven, Malfoy glared at the golden trio for the rest of the week (well, more than the usual amount of glaring, anyways) and Gryffindors kept giving them high-fives and looks of admiration.

"I'm not going to let Malfoy ruin this experience for me", she replied, nonchalently, a goofy girin still visible on her face. "Besides, this is a good chance to see another country." He nodded at her statement, looking somewhat relieved. Why was a Slytherin relieved that she, a proud, muggle-born Gryffindor, was going with him on a yearlong trip?

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ginny motioning for her to hurry up. She just wanted to make her try on some bloody dress robes. She juggled a few ideas to stall some time before her inevitable session of clothes shopping. She grinned as she though of a great plan.

_Talk about nailing two birds with one stone, _she thought. She'd ask Zabini to come with her and Ginny to get ice-cream. She learn about Zabini while also stalling time since Ginny, being sensitive to men since she had six brothers, would never drag a boy clothes shopping with them. She smirked at her devious plan. It was almost worthy of being a Slytherin plan.

"If you're not busy, would you like to get some ice-cream with me and my friend?", she asked sweetly, hopefully getting her ticket to freedom from Ginny's makeover fun-time. He looked startled by her invitation, as many people would be, considering they were from opposing houses. They were basically enemies by nature.

He teetered on one foot, looking somewhat uncomfortable. "I still need to buy some school stuff, maybe some other time." Zabini replied hesitantly. The grin on her face was quickly replaced by a grimace. Joy, more clothes shopping with the queen of clothes (Maybe Parvati or Lavender derserved that title more? She had shared a room with them for five years and knew just how many clothes they had.).

She flashed the Slytherin in front of her a goodnatured smile as she moved towards the counter. "OK, I'll see you later then.", she shrugged, feeling somewhat less joyous than she pretended to be. She paid for her books as slowly as possible and trudged towards the exit after going Blaise a quick, wave which he nervously returned. She barely stepped out of the store when Ginny grabbed her arm and ushered her towards _Madam Malkins Robes of All Occasions_.

She took one look inside the shop and felt immediatly rather sick. Usually, when she entered this shop, there were plain black robes on display for Hogwarts students. Now, since school wouldn't be back in session for weeks, there were fighteningly colorful robes as far as the eye could see, and probably further. She shot a discusted glare and the nearest robe, which happened to be a horrible shade of lilac. Ginny, on the other hand, was squealing with delight, throwing different colors of robes into Hermione's arms. One of the robes included, much to Hermione's horror, was the lilac disaster of a robe. She sighed and slowly trudged towards the fitting rooms to begin how slow torture at the hands of her 'friend'. Some friend, making her try on clothes for, merlin knows, how long. Still, she agreed, and Hermione was never one to go back on her word.

After over an hour of trying on dress robes, Hermione just decided to buy the first thing that wasn't absolutely aweful. She wouldn't fling her money around like some rich git (Malfoy), she would wait until she found something that was atleast suitable. Ginny handed her a new pile of three robes and pointed back towards the fitting room. She stared at the familiar stalls of the rooms, feeling somewhat nausiated. She always hated spending more than thirty minutes shopping for clothes and it was nearly driving her insane to be spending an hour and a half trying on nausiatingly bright robes. She filed through the new robes in her arms. Her eyes settled upon an emerald green robe with gold lining. It was a small improvement from the 'filth' Ginny had been bringing her. As much as she dispised Slytherin, she wished Gryffindor had been lucky enough to have green as their house color. She loved most shades of green, excluding olive green. She hurridly changed into the robe and examined herself in the mirror, hoping that she was finsihed looking.

It was...good enough. It was something she'd wear more than once, something that was somewhat practical, and something she liked. It fit all her requirements that her clothing was always tested on. She emerged from the fitting room to find Ginny waiting outside with a fresh pile of robes. She quickly brushed past the red head and made her way to the front desk, where a cheerful old witch was waiting happily to ring up the sale. The old woman attempted to make light conversation but was disppointed by the young girl's lack of communication. Ginny appeared by her side a moment later with another dress robe. It was crimson with gold lining, seeming to support Gryffindor spirit.

Hermione payed for the robe and waited for Ginny outside the store. All she wanted to do was go back to her grungy hotel room and sleep. Ginny joined her moments later and attempted to drag her to another clothing store that would be 'on the way'. Hermione denied and walked briskly towards the hotel, making the shorter girl run to keep up with her. She walked through the dingy pub towards the stairwell leading to her room which, to her misfortune, happened to be on the thrid floor. She swifly inserted the key and pushed the door open. She collapsed on the firm mattrass, her eyes already begining to grow weary. By the time her companion entered the room, her face as red as her hair from the brisk pace Hermione made her run, Hermione was already asleep.

Hermione tiptoed quietly through the halls of the Leaky Cauldron, sliently sursing the owners of the dumpy hotel/pub. Apparently, they saw fit to have a pub downstairs for their drunken customers but not to have working toilets in each room. The stairs creaked as she silently made her way towards the public washrooms near the tables. She glared at one drunken man who winked suggestively at the sixteen-year-old girl. Merlin, men these days had no sense or propriety. Wanting to shag everything that moved. Revolting. She scowled at old man and continued her journey to the loo.

She pushed the door to the washroom open and stepped inside, vowing to never set foot in the Leaky Cauldron again. For well respected establishment (who knew why it was respected?) the state of the washrooms was simply appauling. She scowled at the mirror above the sink. How many girls would look into it and critize themselves? She scoffed at the mirror and stared at the sinks taps. She wrinkled her nose when she realized that to turn the sink on, she would have to touch the two grimy levers that looked like they haven't been cleaned in months. Of all muggle technology, wizards had to use plumbing. She pulled her wand out of her robe. She stopped midway through her complex cleaning spell, letting her wand fall to her side. Was it worth risking explusion for doing magic over the summer. Certainly not. As a current contender for the position of Head Girl, it wouldn't be a good idea to de expelled for under-age magic. She daintly reached out and turned the taps. She made sure to wipe for hands with some paper towel, to hopefully clear the germs away.

She once again began her journey across the pub to her room. She smiled once she noticed the discusting man, who was probably at least fifty and or old enough to be her great grandfather, was gone. The stairs groaned under her weight as she made her way to the top. She suddenly felt bony arms encircle her small waist. She was pulled into a shadowy corner and was face to face with the gross old man. His breath smelled of whisky and garlic.

"Why hello little miss", he smirked. "Lookin' for a good time?". She struggled against his forceful hold. She thought, being a strong young woman, that she would have been able to escape from the man who looked like a horribly decaying corpse but as much as she strained her muscles, she couldn't seem to break the hold he had on her waist.

"Umm, no", she stammered, struggling even more to escape his clutches.

"Aww c'mon", the drunken corpse slurred. "Don't wanna let go of a pretty youn' thing like yous".

"Pretty?", a familiar voice drawled. "Your taste, sir, if questionable". Malfoy swaggered out of his room, somewhat intoxicated, and surveyed her situation with mild interest. The old man scowled at the newcomer and sent a feeble punch that was easily dodged by the drunk Slytherin Quidditch captain.

"Yous can have 'er when I'm done", the man grumbled, turning back to Hermione. She heard Malfoy sigh and step closer. Not a thousand years would she dream of Malfoy saving her. Was that what he was doing? Maybe he was going to save her, then take her to Voldemort who would then cast a Confundus charm so she would fall in love with Malfoy. Dammit, Harry was right! She began to struggle even more, trying to escape the two evil men in front of her. She crashed to the ground when the man severed his hold on her. She tried to stand when she felt muscular arms grab her. Holy hell, he really was going to take her to Voldemort! She kicked and punched the air around, not hitting Malfoy once.

"Damn, Granger, I'm not going to hurt you" Malfoy spat, picking her off the ground.

_'Of course YOU won't', _she thought._ 'thats Voldemort's job.'_

The drunk would-be rapist began to stir and slowly lifted his groggy head before it fell back down to the ground witha sharp punch from Malfoy. He would probably apparate her to Voldemort. Would she rather face the Dark Lord or get splinched because she was struggling too much? Voldemort sounded like the better prospect at the moment. Tears streaming down her face, she threw her arms around Malfoy's neck and ceased her struggles. The change in position threw Malfoy off balance and the two crashed to the ground. A door creaked open and Ginny stood there looking rather confused.

"Weaslette, get this bloody thing off of me" Malfoy hissed, trying without avail to shake off the clinging Gryffindor. Still sobbing into her robes, Hermoine waited to be apparated, oblivious to the scene that was happening. More people stepped out of their rooms to see a muggleborn witch sobbing into the robes of a Death Eater's son, who was a suspected Death Eater himself. Many people shot him glares for hurting the poor girl. Some looked at the scene with distain. Ginny stepped closer and attempted to pry the sobbing girl from her enemy. The hall was silent and everyone heard the whispers of the crying girl

"I don't want to be splinched", she whispered.

Malfoy slowly stood up, the mudblood's arms still wrapped around his neck. She doesn't want to be splinched? No one does but that only happens when you apparate, not when you cry in the halls of a hotel. Weaslette was trying to pull Granger off. She finally sighed, exasperated, and beckoned him into their room. He wrinkled his nose. A Malfoy would never go willingly into a room shared by a Mudblood and a Weasley. He shot quick glances around the corridor. Everyone had returned to their rooms. No witnesses would see him. He followed the redhead into her room.

"Mione", the weaslette whispered softly to the girl on his chest. "You're clinging to the ferret. Let go of him". For once, he decided to let her call him a ferret. If it would get Granger off, he would let them call him Zabini. Granger just shook her head. "I don't want to be splinched", she repeated. What the hell was wrong with this girl. They weren't apparating anywhere. The Weasley girl seemed to be aware of this fact, too.

"Mione, hun, you're not apparating anywhere" she stated calmly, once again attempting to pull her from his chest.

"Not now but we will be", Granger said. "He's going to take me to Voldemort whos going to caste a Confundus charm on me to make me think I'm in love with Malfoy". What.The.Hell. He stared at her blankly. He sent a questioning glance towards Weasley but Granger held all her attention

"No, he won't. You've just been listening to Harry too much" Weasley said calmly. "Right now, it looks like he just wants you to get off of him". Was this Potter's plan to cause him a mental breakdown? Or was Potter himself going insane? Thinks everyone is out to kill him and the other two members of the 'dream team'. Having a mudblood clinging to him, he was getting pretty close to admitting himself to St. Mungos. Maybe he'd meet Potter there.

He felt the grip on his robe loosen and Granger took a tentative step back. " I wasn't splinched", she grinned happily. Somehow, an immense feeling of regret clouded her thoughts. She, Hermoine Granger, mudblood extrodinaire had clung onto Draco Malfoy, evil git, as if her life depended on it. She slowly lifted her head to meet his stunning silvery eyes. She had expected to see hatred, anger, maybe a murderous. While she had trouble seeing the emotions in his silvery eyes, it surprised her that she could see amusement reflecting in his eyes. He was probably having murderous thoughts involving a certain muggleborn, fire, and the Confunus charm, he certainly was hiding his desire to kill her well.

"I knew it", he smirked. "Even Granger can't resist me". He winked at the scowling Gryffindor. He was delighted to note that the female member of the golden trio was blushing. He swaggered out of their room to hear the door being swiftly shut behind him. He had never met a woman who could resist his looks and charms. Apparently, mudbloods were no exception. Not even, Potter-worshipping, Weasley-loving, Know-it-all mudbloods like Hermoine Granger.

_This year with Granger might be fun after all_

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Draco Malfoy left Hermione in a fiery state of rage. She ranted and raved to her companion, only taking brief breaks between her insults for breaths. Breathing was annoying and tedious work, but if was unfortunately necessary.

"Urg, I hate that slimy git. Who does he think he is? The pope? The bloody Queen of England? Urg, I just want to give him a swift kick in the ---" Hermione fumed angrily before being cut off.

"Hermione!", Ginny interjected. "He's a prat. I get it. Watch your language, Mione" Having six brothers, she heard many stories growing up about when they were kicked in...specific places. Now, she didn't wish it on any boy, including the sons of Death Eaters. She was incredibly thankful to be born a girl.

"I am going to give him a bloody piece of my mind!", she shouted, grabbing her wand off the table. "No one makes a fool of Hermione Granger". Quickly slidding on her shoes, she marched towards the door and stepped out into the dark hallway. She ignored Ginny's pleas and stormed three doors down and pounded on the door. She waited. One minute. Two. When she was about to leave, finally a disgruntled looking Malfoy pulled open the door. His platnum blond hair stuck up wildly around his head, and that somehow made his hair look even better than usual, and his silver eyes were half open. He was wearing only a pair of green and black boxers without a shirt covering his athletic body. Hermione stared longingly at his abs. Why did god bless someone so vile with such a great body? Bloody unfair was what it was. She firmly believed that the outside should match the inside so Draco Malfoy, for instance, should be a fat, sweaty dork with greasy hair. Instead, he was the Slytherin sex god. Girls would beat each other with a stick just to be the one priviliged enough to kiss his feet. Excluding most girls in Gryffindor house, though there were many exceptions. Usually at the front of the pack, beating the rest back with a sledge hammer, was Pansy Parkinson, who was also a Slytherin. he had short, dark hair and a slim build but that was lost when one gazed upon her pug-like face. While she claimed to be Malfoy's girlfriend, he denied all claims and immediately began 'dating' Daphne Greengrass, also a Slytherin.

"Merlin, Granger, what the bloody hell do you want", Malfoy slurred sleepily "Didn't come for that shag did ya?".

Outrage. That was the only visible emotion on the face of Hermione Granger. Her face flushed with anger and turned a lovely tomato red. "I did not come for a shag, you discusting ferret" she spat. She was suddenly tackled to the ground by a blur of flaming red. "What the bloody hell was that for, Ginny? I was about to hurt him!"

"Really, Mione, watch your language", Ginny scolded the older girl. "I came to stop you from making a fool of yourself." Did she think he meant something when he winked at her? Did she really think that he, a pureblood wizard, would ever even think about touching a mudblood? Silly bint. Though, he had to admit, she didn't look half as bad as she had in previous years. Her long curls cascaded down her back, though not smooth, they were nowhere near as bushy as they had been. Her figure had filled out quite nicely. Had she been a pureblood witch, she would have made

Malfoy surveyed the situation dubiously. "Does this have anything to do with me?", he sleepily asked the youngest Weasley, who seemed slightly less likely to go into fits of rage at the question. Weasley just shook her head and attempted to pull the rabid mudblood back towards their room. "Right then. Tell Granger I wouldn't shag a mudblood anyways" Deciding sleep was definitly more important then whatever the hell they were doing, he swiftly slammed the door and let sleep reclaim him while outside his room. He could hear his latest comment was sending the mudblood into more screams of rage. That woman mudblood thing was far too bloody emotional.He had one final thought before he drifted back into a dreamless sleep

_Durmstrang is going to be hell_

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Somehow, Ginny managed to drag the outraged, older girl back to the room they shared and quickly locked the door.

"Whats the best possible revenge you could get on him?" Ginny asked her, still sitting over her legs to keep her from marching right back to malfoy's room and breaking the door down. Hermione looked at her quizically. The best revenge she could get on him would be to kick in a southern region but Ginny had stopped her before she had a chance to extract her revenge. Ginny rolled her eyes, as if the answer were dancing in front of them naked and throwing out chocolate. Wasn't it Hermione Granger who was the smartest witch Hogwarts had seen in decades? It was most certainly NOT Ginervra Weasley so where did she get off acting like she was the smart one.

"His pride, Mione.", Ginny stated. "Theres nothing more important to Malfoy then his pride." How Ginny understood the workings of the Malfoy mind was beyond Hermione's knowledge but she seemed to know how to hurt him and that was fine with her. Any plan to cause Draco Malfoy pain, emotionally or physically, sounded like a great plan to her. She had been delighted when Mad-Eye Moody transfigured the Slythergit into a ferret during their fourth year at Hogwarts. That certainly bruised him, mentally. He snaps at anyone who dares meantion Moody, ferrets, or the event in parcticular. She made a point of bringing it up most times when she had to talk to him. Her and Harry would get into long-winded disscussions on ferrets whenever Malfoy was in earshot. He usually turned an angry red color and glared at them angrily for the rest of the period.

"So I hit him on the head?", she asked. How was she supposed to hurt his pride? Beat it out of him. Sounded like a pretty good idea to her. One punch in five years was not nearly enough physical damage to equal what he had done to her for their many years of animosity. At the time, it felt great but afterwards she wished she had done more than give him one punch. A good and proper beating would have been better for the likes of him.

"Geez, Hermione, you sound like a neanderthal. No, you are not going to 'hit' him" Ginny said, brushing Hermione brown curls out of her face. "You are going to beat his grades so badly, he'll cry himself to sleep."

Hermione looked at her, dumbfounded. She already did that, didn't she? He may not cry about it, but it would be hard to improve her grades from what they already were. She remained silent and Ginny let out an exasparated sigh. Ginny climbed into the double sized bed beside hers and slid under the blankets

"I'm going to sleep now.", Ginny murmured, looking like she was halfway asleep already. "Don't try to kill Malfoy in her sleep, there'll be plenty of time for that at Durmstrang." Within moments of her red head hitting the pillow, the youngest Weasley was asleep.

Being the only person awake in their room, Hermione let her mind wander. The most reoccuring thought was of her soon-to-be new school, Durmstrang. They had a reputation for not only teaching the Dark Arts but actually learning them. Long ago, she had vowed never to do anything even mildly resembling the Dark Arts. What would she do if it was part of the curriculum? She couldn't let herself fail the course or pass with anything less than an 'Outstanding'. It would give Malfoy even more reasons to gloat (since he would probably preform every dark spell perfectly 'for his first time' (If it was his first time with dark arts, she was madly in love with Crabbe.).

From what Victor Krum told her during triwizard tournment in her fourth year, the ground were quite lovely there even though the school was slightly smaller. Most nights at Hogwarts, she'd go for walks around the grounds to clear her head. Sometimes she'd take Harry with her. For some reason, she had always been alot closer with Harry then her other friends. Sometimes at night, they'd stay uo in the common room and just talk for a while. Harry was one of the things she would miss most about Hogwarts. Ever since the troll incident in the first year, Harry had always stuck by her to protect her.

_Victor,_ she thought. He'd be in his seventh year now so he would be there while she was. Atleast there would be one friendly face amist the sea of strangers. They kept in touch ever since fourth year, sending the occasion letter, letting the other know what was going on in their life. She was glad she didn't have to worry about Victor hitting on her. In his last letter, he told her that he had a new girlfriend in Bulgaria named Sophia Poliskii. Supposidly, she was a beautiful girl with long, dark hair and a 'hot arse' as Victor claimed. Honestly, men these day are so conceited and vulgur! Hopefully, Sophia wouldn't be too jeleous that Hermione and Victor had attended the Yule Ball together during his stay. It didn't matter anyways, she didn't harbor any romanic feelings for him. Sure, he was somewhat good looking but she couldn't see them being more than friends. He reminded her too much of Harry and Ron to let anything romanic happen.

Another worry of Durmstrang was sharing a common room with her enemy, Draco Malfoy. He would use every waking moment of every bloody day to successfully drive her insane. He'd take everything she said as a sexual inuendo and tell her he doesn't shag mudbloods. Hermione Granger shag Malfoy? That would be like Voldemort dating Minerva McGonagall or the Easter Bunny being in love with Satan. It just didn't happen. Did he really think she wouldn't make his life a living hell for even suggesting it? Well, rest assured, that was exactly what she planned to do. Hopefully, she could convince Zabini or Victor to protect her from the deranged Slytherin.

She didn't know too much about the other person accompaying her on the trip, Blaise Zabini. He seemed nice from their encounter at Flourish and Blotts and he never bothered her in class like the other Slytherins. But there had to be a reason he was sorted into the Slytherin house. Nice, smart people aren't usually sorted into the house full of lying, backstabbing snakes. He seemed to be the somplete opposite of everything they stood for. There was a reason he was there and she would use their year at Durmstrang to figure out what is was.

She let out a soft sigh. She would be leaving in two days and would have plenty of time to worry later. Right now, it was best for her to lay down and rest up. This might be the only good chance to sleep she'll get in months.

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**End of the Chapter**

**AN:** This is my very first fanfic so any constructive critism will be appreciated. I changed a few details from the books when I wrote my story. Some details meantioned in HBP were changed when I wrote this. Call it creative lisense, if you will. First of all, while Sirus Black is still dead, Dumbledore is not. Blaise Zabini is somewhat neutral on terms of the war and does not believe in blood rights. Since I plan out my stories starting at the end, then writing the beginning and middle, it worked better to have Blaise be more neutral from the start rather then be befriended by Hermione on the trip. So far I don't have any plans for Snape, I haven't yet decided whether or not to make their return to Hogwarts a sequel or just continue this story at Hogwarts. Most of the information in HBP will not be compatable with my story so it would be easier if you disregard that book while reading this story.

Hermione may seem a little off but thats exactly how I want her to come off. I feel shes a more interesting character when shes slightly neurotic. She came become rather tedious and predictable, I find, so I figured if she was slightly unhinged, it would make for an ultimitly more amusing story. This was the main reason of the bathroom scene (I hated that part. I was going to cut it but my beta insisted that it stayed.). I wanted her to seem a little obsesive complusive

When I first thought of this idea, I thought it was original but after looking around on the site. I found some Draco/Hermione stories using the same idea of an exchange program. While I will continue writing (I started writing it before coming across any story like it), I want to point out that I will not take credit for this idea, since I was not the first to think of it.

I've been really busy this year with my sports teams and band so I may not be able to update two often. My goal is to come out with a new chapter at least every two weeks. I will usually update on weekends. I try to make myself write about an hour a day. I want each of my chapters to be a minimum of 8000 words.

The title is under debate and you are welcome to voice any titles you feel would fit the story.

Thanks for reading. The next chapter will hopefully be out in about in a week (Around next Friday, if not before).

**Review**


	2. Slytherin Plots

**Chapter 2**

**Slytherin Plots**

Hermione shivered as she watched the raindrops pelt the street below her window. From her room in the Leaky Cauldron, she had a fantastic view of muggle London, the city she grew up in. Her old life seemed so far away. Ever since her first year at Hogwarts, there had been a growing distance between her and her muggle parents. Merlin, she wished she had spent more time with them. But she was through blaming herself. She wouldn't have been able to stop. How was she supposed to fight fully trained wizards? She would have died, too. Still, how could she not feel guilty? If she had made friends with anyone else, it might not have happened, or at least it wouldn't have happened so soon.

No, blaming Harry was even worse than blaming herself. He didn't ask for any of this. He would have been happier not being the famous Boy-Who-Lived. He would have rather just been Harry Potter. She didn't know what to do with her life anymore. Being the top witch of her year at Hogwarts, she had many career paths open, in both worlds. She knew that she truly belonged in the wizarding world, despite what a certain rich, blond ferret claimed. She needed magic to flow through her veins. She felt lost and desperate without her wand. Like she was a walking corpse. She could walk, talk, even do a little jig if necessary but without magic, her life was plain and dull. Before Hogwarts she might have been content with a regular life as a dentist or whatever her parents wanted her to be. Now, everything was different. Most of it for the better. Life's always better with mystery, anyways.

She should probably tell them soon. Harry and Ron had been asking to visit her parents last year. How would they react to the fact that she waited almost three years to tell them? Harry had even met her parents once, and they had immediately hit it off. Her father had even invited Harry to stay with them for the holidays during the second year but that fell through because of their polyjuice potion adventure. No, she couldn't tell him what happened to them. It would be like Sirius all over gain, just to a slightly lesser extent. He would blame himself, go all angry and depressed, and cut himself off from the world. It happened every time someone from their side died. She didn't even want to think of what would happened if her or Ron died, or worse, both.

She remembered what happened to her when she discovered to news. She thought it might just be easier not to go back. Just to float through life without a purpose. A thought of not living even crossed her mind once, but she immediately scolded herself for even considering taking the coward's way out. Death was easy; it was life that was the challenge. Challenges were made to be overcome. She would live her life to the fullest, if only for them.

Her gaze flickered to the other side of the room where Ginny lay, still fast asleep. The younger girl's red hair fanned across her pillow. She softly sighed, still fast asleep in the early hours of the morning. Hermione pitied the beautiful girl. She was absolutely gorgeous. She had a slim frame, startling blue eyes, and beautiful red hair. She could have any guy she wanted, but she only wanted one. One who she could never have. The only one who would see her as nothing more than a Weasley. She wanted Harry. Not because he was the famous 'Boy-Who-Lived' but just because of his personality. Hermione had personally asked Harry what he though of Ginny. He never implied that he liked her as anything other than a friend. Hermione could read her best friend like a book. She could always tell what he was feeling, who he liked or disliked, and what he worried about. She knew almost certainly, that Harry loved Ginny as a sister and nothing more nor would he ever. She knew she should have told Ginny to give up on Harry, but she just couldn't do it. Whenever Ginny talked about Harry, a glazed look crossed her eyes. The girl was in love. It was absolutely dreadful.

Hermione suddenly leaped out of her seat by the window. The idea struck her like Neville destroyed a perfectly good cauldron and blew up his potion. In other words, pretty bloody fast. She had one full day left before she had to leave for Durmstrang. A day she could use to her full advantage and find her friend a man. No regular man would do for Ginny, no; he would have to be the epitome of the perfect man. Otherwise, Ron would never approve and Ginny, who always strived to please her brother, would dump him faster than Hermione could crash a broom. She had one day to find this perfect man. Hermione Granger has never failed a challenge, nor was she planning to in the near future. She quickly penned a note and left it beside Ginny's bed. She grabbed her coat, pocketed her wand, and raced out of the room, determined to find Ginny's future husband before the day was out.

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Hermione wandered around Diagon Alley, stopping briefly in front of her favorite store, Flourish and Blotts, before casually strolling forward. She had a mission. It wasn't time to be shopping, even for books. If Ginny wouldn't find someone for herself, she could be sure that Hermione would find a man for her.

She went over the plan briefly in her mind, looking for flaws. It seemed like an acceptable plan. She would wait for an oncoming candidate and clumsily trip. A true gentleman would help her gather her books and help her to her feet. This was a pass or fail test. It didn't seem too difficult to Hermione. Only a gentleman deserved the girl who Hermione considered her sister.

She spotted a young wizard ahead of her and decided to put her husband finding plan into motion. She slowed her pace and waited until the young man was closer. She could see the outline of his face now that he was almost in front of her. He was rather good-looking, and nearly the same age as Ginny, give or take a few years. He met all her physical expectations. Ron was notoriously shallow, the Eloise Midgon incident being a prime example. The poor girl had asked him out in their fifth year, and Ron, being the insensitive git he was, had burst out laughing. For this, he earned himself a painful punch in the nose from Hermione and sharp glares from many girls in the room. She didn't doubt that Ginny's boyfriend would get the same treatment if he wasn't that attractive, not that the Weasleys were supermodels or anything (Fred and George being prime examples. In other words, they fell down the ugly tree and hit every branch). Ron wasn't even that good-looking, if you looked closely.

Ron had expressed feeling for Hermione that weren't exactly compatible with friendship. It started in about the fourth year, just after the Yule ball. Hermione assumed it was just because she went with Victor but it progressed into the next year. She loved Ron, just not quite in the same way. She needed someone who she could carry on an intelligent conversation with. Ron definitely couldn't do that for her. For lack of better words, Ron was an idiot. Sometimes, she doubted he would have made it to the sixth year if it hadn't been for her. She knew she should tell Ron how she felt but she couldn't bring herself to hurt him like that. She still loved him in a 'strictly-friends' way. She needed someone as smart as her (Or at least close. Who really was as intelligent as her?). It wouldn't hurt if he happened to be gorgeous too.

Hermione refocused on her mission. It was time for action not girly thoughts on that romance stuff. The boy was steps away when Hermione 'tripped', her books sprawling all over the road. She blew gently on her stinging knee, attempting to stop the burning sensation. She allowed herself a brief glance upwards and found that the boy had kept walking. She glared at his back, failing him on her test. What an inconsiderate prick, couldn't bother himself to help an innocent girl. Ron would absolutely forbid Ginny from seeing him as would Hermione, herself. Hermione knew that Ginny looked up to her as a sort of sister or role model.

She sighed and began collecting her books, muttering a quick healing spell on her knee and continuing on her way. She spotted another likely candidate along the path and prepped herself for the mission. Candidate #2 was marching forward at a consistent pace. It was now or never. Hermione fell forward, her hands reaching out instinctively to break her fall. Before she felt impact, she felt a pair of strong arms roughly grab her shoulders. He pulled her upright, but allowed the books to fall. Hermione frowned slightly, he obviously didn't appreciate knowledge. He still passed the important part of the test though. She bent down to retrieve her fallen books; waiting to see it he would get the hint and help her. He didn't. In fact, he seemed rather interested in something else. Hermione's butt.

She was absolutely livid. She pulled the remaining books into her arms and stalked off angrily, not even thanking him for stopping her fall. He tried to catch up to her but the sharp glare she sent him made him turn around and continue his business. She sighed, he definitely failed. No gentleman would ever do that.

She decided to put an end to that test. She hadn't spotted that flaw when she had been revising her plan. She slowed her steps somewhat lighter. A new plan was in order, and a better plan at that. She was so deep in thought that she didn't notice the crate in her path. A merchant was unloading it, thinking no one could possibly run into it. Boy, was he wrong.

This time, she actually did trip, even at her slow pace. Her knees throbbed and she could feel a dull pain in her elbow. She quickly bounced to her feet and brushed the dirt off her robes.

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Blaise Zabini stepped out of Flourish and Blotts with a malicious grin on his face. This would be the year he beat Draco Malfoy once and for all. That despicable git wouldn't be able to lord his grades over him any longer. He was bloody tired of always being second best to Draco Malfoy. Malfoy was better at Quidditch, he got better grades (that did NOT mean he was smarter), and he was better looking than Blaise. He didn't mind that Gryffindor girl being first, he was actually glad someone was there to beat Malfoy until he achieved it. Though the Ravenclaws were probably fuming that none of the top three students were from Ravenclaw. They were supposedly the 'smartest' of the lot. Please! The only things Ravenclaws were good for was sucking up to teachers and being nerds.

That Gryffindor girl sure was something else. Normally, even under the best circumstances, Gryffindors would never talk to a Slytherin such as himself. Yet, Hermione Granger, the Gryffindor princess had a conversation with him and looked disappointed that he wouldn't get ice-cream with her and her friend. Why would the brains of the Golden Trio want to talk with him? She obviously had ulterior motives. If she was talking to him freely then he was the president of Malfoy's fan club (It was sad that there actually was one. It was even almost as big as Potter's!). Still, he would need all the allies he could get if he wanted to survive the school year at Durmstrang. While they were getting a better reputation and now accepted muggleborn students, it was still full of snotty pure-bloods who would hate a blood traitor like himself. Hermione Granger was indeed a powerful witch, she would be a good ally. Trust wasn't necessary between allies. In war, you take what you can get and the time for war was drawing nearer with each passing day.

He strolled along Diagon Alley. He had finished shopping for his school supplies days ago. He also found a rather interesting book on Durmstrang. Like their version of Hogwarts: A History. Their social hierarchy, though extremely interesting, made him even more nervous of attending that school. He didn't even know why he was going. Part of him wanted to give in and stay at Hogwarts but if he did, Malfoy would never let him hear the end of it. More than once, Blaise had cast silencing charms on Draco to make him shut up about Blaise's family, tradition, or any random facts about him that Malfoy found amusing. Being a rather powerful sixth year warlock, his silencing charms usually lasted over an hour, giving him glorious silent time.

Blaise Zabini was at a loss. He had absolutely nothing to do and most of the day left. He had never been one to sit around and do nothing. Relaxing was trivial, this theory helped him get the third highest grades of the year. Having barely any friends was also rather helpful in maintaining his studies. Sometimes he wished he could be like Potter or Malfoy and always have dozens of friends or admirers around him. Whenever those thoughts floated into his head, he suppressed them and forced himself to work on his homework. Friends were for people with too much time on their hands. They were as trivial as relaxing.

He continued down the narrow strip of shops, pausing briefly in front of the Quidditch shop before continuing on his path. Most of his thoughts centered around Durmstrang and, by association with the first topic, Hermione Granger. She was bloody unbelievable. How did she manage to have friends and still achieve the highest grades of the year? He had even seen her reading novels that weren't assigned for class. That was what some people did when they relaxed, or so he heard. How did that girl manage it all? She also went on all of Potter's bloody adventures. Maybe, having her as an ally, she could teach him her secret. It would work much better for her if he was always alert and ready to protect her. Durmstrang would be even more cruel to her than it would be for himself, the blood traitor.

He was standing near _Madam Malkins Robes for All Occasions _when the very girl who had been plaguing his thoughts appeared. She fell clumsily towards to ground and shot back up, her cheeks reddening with embarrassment. He chuckled and casually marched towards her. He frowned at the books, which were strewn along the road. He respected books more than he respected most of his professors. Books were his true teachers. He carefully gathered her books into her arms. He starred at one book in particular. It was the same book he had purchased about Durmstrang. Hermione was also bent down, gathering books one by one. He emptied his pile of books into her arms. A grateful smile appeared on her face as she shuffled the books into one big pile.

"Hi Blaise", Hermione smiled at the Slytherin boy who seemed to love books as much as her.

"Hey, Hermione", he replied, following her example and calling her given name. He might as well get to know his future ally, he figured. "I'm finished my shopping, would you like to get that ice-cream?" he asked the pretty brunette in front of him. She eyed him, appearing to be studying him.

"I'd love to, Blaise", Hermione grinned, starting towards Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream parlor. Blaise had to quickly jog to reach her. He finally caught up and slowed to walk alongside the Gryffindor girl. They walked in silence towards the overly bright ice-cream parlor. Both wrinkled their noses at the color theme of yellow, pink and orange but walked in.

Hermione looked though the menu, trying to choose the flavor she wanted. She swore up and down that they had even more flavors than Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. She could be safe and choose something boring like a classic vanilla. Hermione was tired of being dull and unexciting. She silently vowed to herself, in the ice-cream parlor, to renounce her boring ways, if only starting with her ice-cream. She searched through the menu once again, this time, considering every single flavor they offered. She settled on the ' Black Cherry'. It may not be an exotic flavor like Ogre or Turnip, but for Hermione Granger, Black Cherry was pretty damn daring. She firmly shut her menu only to discover Blaise's already shut. The Slytherin was looking rather bored, staring at the lemon yellow clock (which clashed horribly with the carrot orange walls). She lightly touched his arm and gestured to the counter.

"I'd like a Black Cherry ice-cream, please", Hermione said to the cheerful witch at the counter. Oh God, she matched the store. She was wearing horrible robes of lime green and her 'lovely' outfit was completed with a forest green hat and matching shoes. Hermione tried her best not to laugh at her outfit. She could hear peals of laughter slip out of the Slytherin boy's mouth as he ordered his Rainbow Sherbet ice-cream. And she thought she was daring! She hadn't even considered the Rainbow Sherbet. Blaise Zabini was a puzzle, that was certain.

"I'll pay" Blaise told her, pulling out a rather large bag of galleons. Hermione had never been comfortable when other people paid for her, except Harry and Ron only because she always paid them back. It made her feel like she owed them something. Hermione declared many years ago that she would never be financially dependant on someone. While it was true Blaise was from a rather wealthy pureblood family and could afford to pay a few measly sickles for her ice-cream, she didn't know him nearly well enough to allow him to pay. She quickly pulled out her own bag of money. She sent a quick smile towards Blaise, hoping he wouldn't be offended, and placed enough money on the counter to pay for her ice-cream.

They grabbed their ice-cream and sat down at a table near the corner. Hermione suddenly saw Blaise in a new light. He was rather good-looking, he was smart, and he was nice (or so he seemed). His only problem was he was sorted into Slytherin. He might just be Ginny's husband to be. He seemed almost perfect for her red haired friend. Another problem was that Ron would never approve of his sister marrying a Slytherin. The only was Ron would even possibly consider trusting him would be if Blaise was declared the next pope, and even then he's be somewhat iffy. Still, Blaise was currently the top contender for Hermione's 'Get Ginny A Boyfriend So She Can Stop Thinking About Harry' plan ( G.G.A.B.S.S.C.S.T.A.H, for short). Her plans were getting so Slytherin, it almost scarred her. Oh yes, she was so devious and cunning.

_'I bet I could be a better Slytherin than Malfoy' _

Hermione thought smugly. She could imagine the headline on the Daily Prophet, "_Hermione Granger: Better Slytherin than Malfoy _". That would certainly wipe the silly smirk off his face. She grinned wickedly as she imagined Malfoy's reaction. He would be renounced as the Slytherin prince and publicly humiliated. It occurred to her that, as a Gryffindor, she shouldn't be thinking like this. While on the subject of what she should be doing, Blaise's mouth was moving, probably talking her about something. Listening was the proper response to someone who was talking to you. She quickly tuned back to what Blaise was saying.

-- then I cast a silencing charm on that ferret" he finished. Hermione tried to work out the puzzle. Ferret? He must mean Malfoy! She wasn't the smartest witch in her year for nothing! Oh, Blaise cast a silencing charm on him? She didn't give him nearly enough credit. She laughed at the though of Malfoy being silenced, unable to voice the many insults that continuously sputtered out of his mouth. Blaise let out a small chuckle, too. The door swung open, revealing a fuming red head. Hermione gulped, Ginny wasn't someone you wanted to cross. Hopefully she wouldn't be as violent since she was with Zabini. Hermione couldn't fathom why Ginny looked so murderous, or why it was directed towards her.

Ginny marched over to their table, clutching a small square of paper. She threw it in front of Hermione, not acknowledging Blaise at all. Hermione hastily picked it up. It was the note she wrote Ginny this morning before she left. Why was Ginny mad about that? She looked at the young girl questioningly.

"What is that, Hermione?" Ginny asked angrily. "I wake up to find you not there, only to see a note that says, 'I went out. Wear something nice today'. What is the meaning of that, Hermione?" Hermione looked over to Blaise for moral support, only to see him barely suppressing laughter. Some friend. It was kind of weird for her to consider him a friend already but for some unfathomable reason, she trusted the Slytherin boy. He chuckled lightly and brought Ginny's rage down upon him, too.

"What are you laughing about, Slythergit" she asked, though Hermione thought it was probably a rhetorical question. Was there a way Blaise could possibly answer that? Probably not without offending Ginny. The way she was glaring at him, Hermione would have to work hard to make them get married. She decided to act desperately to save the crumbling ruins of her ultimate plan.

"Ginny, meet Blaise Zabini." Hermione stated calmly. "He will be accompanying me on the trip to Durmstrang."

Ginny glared at Hermione but nevertheless shook Blaise's awaiting hand in greeting. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Zabini" Ginny seethed, attempting, rather pathetically, to remain somewhat calm and polite. Although, she didn't resemble anything near calm and her words before were not anywhere near polite. She looked more like a tea kettle that was about to explode than a lady. Hermione was lucky that Molly always insisted her children showed manners, even to enemies. She would probably be disgusted with how Ron acted when she wasn't around.

"We were going to have dinner tonight." Hermione told Blaise, "We'd love it if you'd come with us." Hermione smiled sweetly at Blaise while Ginny turned an even darker shade of red. If it were possible, Hermione was sure steam would be pouring out her ears, making her transformation into a teapot complete.

Blaise looked nervously at Ginny whose attempted smile looked more like a scowl directed at Hermione, who continued to smile sweetly. "I would be honored." Blaise said, obviously trying to calm the red head, if only slightly. "If that's ok with you Miss Weasley. And please, call me Blaise. Mr.Zabini is my father"

Ginny clenched her teeth, "It would be lovely, Blaise" she replied, not giving him permission to call him by her given name. Hermione's smile faltered and was replaced by a slight frown. This wasn't how their first meeting was supposed to go. He was supposed to charm her and then they would get married. Blaise wasn't doing a bad job; it was Ginny who was ruining Hermione love-at-first-sight plan. There was still dinner left for his proposal, though. She brightened at the though of dinner. A romantic setting where they could flirt and fall in love. How utterly perfect!

"Meet us at six o'clock in the lobby of the Leaky Cauldron" Hermione informed him, "We should be going now but I'll see you later." Hermione waved to Blaise, who gave a small, nervous wave in return, and dragged Ginny out of

Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream parlor. Hermione immediately began fussing over Ginny's hair and face when they arrived at their hotel room.

"Blaise is a nice guy, isn't he?" Hermione said as she played with Ginny's hair. Ginny would look absolutely breathtaking tonight when Blaise saw her.

"I guess he is" Ginny replied, "But you never did tell me what the note was about." Hermione had been trying to avoid that question. She was almost sure Ginny had forgotten about it. It would ruin the plan if Ginny knew.

"We do have a public to impress, Ginny" Hermione scolded, "Do you want to look like a slob?" Ginny looked confused but didn't press the issue, much to Hermione's delight. She needed Ginny to look nice today since she was to meet her future husband but she couldn't tell Ginny that. They were supposed to think their love was a spontaneous thing. Not a deviously concocted plan, a plan worthy of being a Slytherin's.

Hermione would make Ginny the most stunning woman in Diagon Alley even if it severely disabled her (if it killed her it, Malfoy would be too happy, which would ruin her goal of making him miserable for the year). Hermione began sorting through Ginny wide selection of dress robes. How could one girl have so many useless articles of clothes? She could probably wear an outfit everyday, only do her laundry once a year and still wear something clean everyday. Still, in instances like this, it was useful. Hermione held up one robe to Ginny's hair and immediately discarded. It made the girl look like a bloody parrot. One of those birds that was too colorful for it's own good and made you want to strangle it. She found a dark blue dress robe hidden in the mountainous pile of robes. Hermione didn't pretend to be fashion expert or one of those bloody fashion police Lavender was always telling her to watch out for, but she thought that robe would look great on Ginny. It didn't clash horribly with her hair, which was always a plus.

Hermione glanced quickly at the clock hanging by the mantle. She had two more hours to get Ginny ready for dinner with Blaise. She ushered Ginny into the bathroom and began the Ginny's beatification process. Merlin, what a long two hours it would be.

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Blaise was diligently waiting in the lobby of the Leaky Cauldron at five thirty. He decided to come early and make a good impression. Part of him was screaming for him to run out of the dumpy bar. Why did he even agree to do this? Sure, allies were important, but was it worth having dinner with Hermione and another girl who seemed somewhat mentally unbalanced. She was a pretty little thing. Probably a Weasley, looking at the trademark bright red hair. She also seemed to have the famous Weasley temper. A Ravenclaw boy told that Ron Weasley threatened to break his legs if he didn't break up with Hermione. Blaise snorted with laughter, startling some of the drunks at the bar. He leaned casually against the wall, surrounded by shadows. He had suspicions that Malfoy was staying somewhere in the Leaky Cauldron, he had seen his disappear into the dumpy hotel a couple hours ago, after his meeting with Hermione.

As if on cue, a tall, silvery blond haired boy sauntered down the stairs. Blaise had always though that Malfoy's silvery blond hair reminded him of one of those Veelas. He wouldn't have been surprised if Malfoy turned out to actually be part Veela. Malfoy had been surprisingly resistant to their charms when they stayed at Hogwarts during the fourth year. He hadn't even tried to avoid them like Blaise, himself, had done.

Malfoy slumped into his seat near the bar and whispered something to the barkeep. Probably ordering alcohol, knowing how much Malfoy could drink. Whenever Slytherin had parties (which was a surprisingly regular occurrence) Malfoy was always slumped over the bar, ordering drink after drink, still finding enough energy, despite his many drinks, to fight off Pansy. Pansy seemed to deem herself Draco's personal nurse, much to Malfoy's obvious discomfort. Blaise always encouraged Pansy or told her where Malfoy was hiding when she was having one of her moods. Pansy's moods were famous throughout the Slytherin house. Everyone tried to stay out of her way. All her moods were different but Blaise's favorite by far was the "I want to shag Malfoy" mood, disgusting as it was. He did everything in his power to help Pansy when she happened to be in the mood for some Malfoy. He would steal Malfoy's broom, so escaping into the air wasn't possible. Once he slipped hormones into Pansy's drink to ensure she went into one of her moods. That was a great day. She had actually chased Malfoy around the Slytherin common room, earning disapproving stares from the older students.

Blaise sighed and looked down at his pocket watch. It was almost time for the girls to come down and he was dreading it. His mind quickly raced to form a plan to get out of there as soon as possible. The only thin he could think of was 'eat fast'. Merlin, he would definitely do that. He'd do anything to escape. Blaise was not a social butterfly, by far. In fact, he hated all social situations especially that damn train to Hogwarts. He firmly believed everyone should get their own compartment. Once, everything was full and he was forced to sit with Malfoy and his faithful sidekicks. A lovely experience, I assure you.

He looked back towards the spot Malfoy was sitting, which was no longer occupied. He glanced around the room, looking suspiciously at the barkeep, Tom as well as the drunks. Malfoy wasn't one to leave the bar so early. There's always a reason for it, and a damn good reason at that or he would never leave his bar. He sighed when he noticed nothing out of the usual.

_'I'm probably just getting too paranoid' _

He thought, but couldn't help glance around the room once more. He felt something behind him, a presence or something. He didn't claim to be the next Trelawney (even though his predictions were a lot better than hers) but swore up and down that he could see a grim out the dusty window, wondering the streets of muggle London. He shivered slightly. Situations like this unnerved him and made him anxious. Where were those damn girls? How could they take so long to get ready? It wasn't like it was the bloody queen of England taking them out to dinner. Blaise shivered again. He decided it would probably be a better idea to wait near the rooms. He was pretty sure Hermione mentioned something about them being on the third floor, he would wait there. He turned to leave when he felt a sharp tap on his shoulder. He whirled around and audibly groaned. Bloody wonderful.

"Hey, Traitor, enjoying the summer" Malfoy asked loudly, probably due to the fact he was already slightly drunk. Only slightly, Malfoys never got too drunk to make it back to their rooms to pass out. If only Lucius Malfoy knew how many times Draco passed out in the Slytherin common room. He would probably break into the school and Avada Kedavra his own son, not that Blaise wouldn't be thrilled if it did happen. He might want to consider writing an anonymous letter to Lucius and tell him. He didn't doubt Lucius could break out of prison, if only to uphold the Malfoy values he so prized.

"It was a lot better before you came along, ferret" Blaise spat, eyes narrowing maliciously at Malfoy. Malfoy just tsked and shook his finger condescendingly.

"That's not a very nice thing to say" he drawled.

"And since when his out favorite ferret ever been nice?" A voice behind them asked. Blaise had never been so thrilled to see a girl in his life. Hermione smirked at Malfoy and walked over to greet Blaise, her red head friend in tow. "Sorry for taking so long, Blaise." Hermione apologized, "Are you ready to go?" Blaise shook his head vigorously at the question and looped his arm through Hermione's, leading her away from the disgruntled Malfoy, who glared suspiciously at the three.

They walked out of the pub, grinning victoriously. Even Ginny, who wasn't content about going to dinner with a Slytherin, had a silly smirk on her face. Blaise paused a moment to take in the appearances of the two girls. He told them before they would probably go to a somewhat upscale place, for which he insisted he would foot the bill (much to Hermione's despair.) and he wanted to be sure they were properly attired. Hermione was wearing deep, emerald green robes with gold embroidery. She seemed uncomfortable, like it was her first time wearing dress robes. Maybe it was the heels, those bloody things hurt! When he was little, around five-years-old, he had tried on a pair of his mother's pumps. Needless to say, that was the last time he ever did that.

The Weasley girl was another story, entirely. She strutted around in her navy pumps like she owned the entire bloody alley, which was somewhat funny since the Weasleys never owned anything of value. She wore a pair of midnight blue dress robes that accentuated her frail form. Diagon Alley was crowded this time of night. Weaslette winked at a group of passing wizards. Blaise wondered how her brother, Ron, would have reacted to her forward gesture. He was notoriously overprotective of his girls, Ginny and Hermione. He felt like rolling his eyes at the girl but forced his face into a painfully polite smile. They were acceptable and would not be frowned upon by others in the restaurants.

They strolled along the streets of Diagon Alley, trying to find a restaurant that met Blaise's standards. They settled on a small restaurant just beside Gringotts called _Delicious Delicacies_. It reviewed rather well in the Daily Prophet. They had exotic meals from all around the wizarding world, for the lazy wizards who didn't feel like apparating for a good, foreign meal.

They entered to small dark restaurant. It had an earthy, romantic feel to it. Blaise almost walked straight out. Romance was for wusses, women, and people who had nothing better to do. He stood firmly at the entrance. Her decided he would stay, if only to build alliances with Hermione. He knew he would have to be polite and charming for the entire evening, which normally, he didn't mind. However, Blaise way having a hard time to stop from scowling at the red haired beauty. He had no trouble being polite to Hermione; she actually seemed to mirror his own personality. They might even be able to become friends, a word that remained foreign to the Slytherin.

The girl he would have trouble with was the Weaslette (the name was a habit from hearing Malfoy always refer to her with that name). Weasley was kind of pretty, sure, but the condescending tone she used when she spoke to him made him want to slap her. She was lucky that Blaise vowed never to fit a woman, after many painful nights of watching his mother being abused. Still, she wasn't better than him because she was an almighty Gryffindork.

A youthful waiter, probably around twenty years old, led them to a secluded booth near the back of the restaurant. He quickly gave them their menus and flashed the girls an oh-so-corny smile that made Blaise want to throw up. Blaise picked up the fork, took it below the draping table cloth, and give the boy a painful job in the leg. Blaise smirked maliciously at him, and the waiter seemed to get the hint. He immediately asked them for their drink orders before promptly exiting, his face frozen into a look of indifference.

Serves him right, bloody prick.

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Hermione surveyed her surroundings; they were perfect for a young couple like Ginny and Blaise. The perfect romantic place for the most perfect proposal in the history of love. What was not perfect was the way Ginny and Blaise were acting. Their smiles were forced, conversation was stale and once in a while they would shoot glares at each other. She needed a way to bring them together. But what she really needed was a group of Slytherins to use as her official plotters so she wouldn't have to think of everything at the last minute. How was a girl supposed to plot on an empty stomach? They needed common ground, something they would both be interested in. A though popped into her head. Of course, it was so obvious.

"QUIDDITCH" Hermione shouted triumphantly, earning herself stares from around the restaurant. Ginny and Blaise exchanged confused glances, shocked by Hermione's display.

"What about quidditch, Mione?" Ginny asked, as people returned to their meals.

"I just wanted to know what your favorite teams were." Hermione chirped happily, seemingly unaware of the nervous glances her friends cast at her. It was worth the public humiliation to get Blaise and Ginny talking. They both played on Quidditch teams at school so it would hopefully be a great topic to strike up a conversation. If they were going to get married they should at least be able to hold up a conversation.

"My favorite team is the Wimbourne Wasps" Blaise shrugged, clearly not seeing the value in the conversation nor Hermione's glowing expression when he answered the question.

Ginny stared at the Slytherin in disbelief. "Thats my favorite team too!" Ginny, apparently, couldn't believe that she had something in common with the Slytherin boy. Hermione grinned, that question couldn't have been more perfect.

Hermione grinned as she observed to carefree conversation between Blaise and Ginny. They talked about everything to do with their favorite team. Hermione was actually quite bored, she never could stand Quidditch. She only went to the games at Hogwarts because Harry and Ron insisted, though she didn't see why they made her go even when Gryffindor wasn't playing. They thought she might begin to appreciate Quidditch but they were dead wrong. Hermione barely listened to what they were saying, preferring to imagine what their children would look like. They would be pretty good looking kids, though Hermione hoped they would inherit Blaise's dark locks. Ginny's flaming red hair clashed horribly with so many colors that it wouldn't be fair to the poor child.

_'I'll bet they name one after me, since I introduced them' _

Hermione thought cheerfully. Of course they would name their first little girl after the one who brought them together. Who else was special enough to them? Hermione was practically Ginny's sister, so she'd at least get a middle name. She brainstormed some possible name combinations until she thought of the perfect name for the brilliant, beautiful daughter of Ginny and Blaise.

_Hermione Elizabeth Zabini_

He would propose pretty soon, if all went according to plan, and she would be the maid of honor. Then Hermione and Blaise would go to Durmstrang and Ginny would send messages of love everyday to Blaise. Hermione studied Blaise, where was he hiding the ring? He was wearing plain black robes that had no pockets. What kind of disgraceful robe didn't have pockets, nowadays?

At first, given the uncomfortable silence at their table, she wasn't sure if her plan would work. But now, in the comfortable atmosphere and joyous conversation, she knew her plan was nearing it's final stages. Still, where the hell was he hiding the ring? How could he not propose? They were having a good time, weren't they? Hermione slumped further into her chair, sinking below the table. Unless he had the ring in his shoe (gross) then he had no ring, which meant there would be no marriage, which also meant Hermione was a complete and utter failure. Her eyes widened at the prospect of her first, and most definitely last, failure. Still, if they got married eventually, it would make the plan a success overall, it would just be a little off schedule. Hermione absolutely hated anything being off her schedule. Still, human nature was a fickle thing. Until she invented a spell to encourage people to the right decision (Not the Imperius curse. It encourages, but doesn't force), human nature would forever cause her grief.

She needed to get them alone, and still be able to observe them. She decided to do a little test and see if they needed her around.

"I'm going to the bathroom" Hermione announced determinedly, as she abruptly stood and march towards the bathroom. Once there, she realized the fatal flaw in her otherwise foolproof plan. She had no way of seeing them interact. For the first time in her life, she wished she was Mad-Eye Moody. She looked around the bathroom in frustration when she spotted it. A window leading to Diagon Alley. It was stupid, not to mention dangerous but it would be completely worth it. She stepped onto the sink and hoisted herself through the window. She fell onto the pavement with an audible thud. She ignored her throbbing limbs and moved stealthily towards the window near their booth. She wished they had sat closer to the window; she could have spied better that way.

Hmm, spying. Another thing a Slytherin would do. She scoffed at the idea. Slytherins spied for blackmail, she spied out of love. They seemed to still be talking about Quidditch or maybe they were talking about where the wedding was going to be held.

A moment later, the food arrived. It looked delicious, as the Daily Prophet promised. She almost wanted to go back inside, but forced herself to stay longer. She could miss some valuable information or developments. Ginny took a bit of her chicken. Hermione's mouth watered at the sight of the tender chicken. She would need to go back in a couple minutes, so she didn't cause suspicion. She could eat then but for now, she just watched. They were not talkative people while they were having dinner. Hermione scowled at them, eating so silently.

"Can't afford to go in there?" a cold voice drawled from behind her, "If a Weasley could afford it, I'd think they'd be handing the food out for free". She turned abruptly to come face to face with Draco Malfoy. Realization dawned upon her. He couldn't have taken her to Voldemort in the crowded corridor so he was there to finish the job. She instinctively took a step away for the presumed death eater. Her mind was frozen with fear. Did he know that Voldemort planned to make her fall in love with him? He probably didn't or he would never carry through with this plan. Her mind shouted at her and her feet obeyed. She only had one thought running through her mind. RUN!

She fled towards the front doors of the restaurant. She could hear Malfoy shouting behind her. What if he was calling back-up death eaters? Surely Voldemort didn't think Malfoy could take her down alone? There was a reason he was second and she was first. Because she was better than him, obviously.

She pushed the doors open and scurried to her table, getting surprised stares from Ginny and Blaise.

"Isn't the bathroom over there, Hermione?" Ginny asked quielty, she seemed nervous to know why Hermione came from the streets. "Why were you outside?"

She had to think of a good reason, fast. After moments of silence, her mind began to panic. A good reason was no longer necessary. Any reason would do in this situation. The key to lying was making it sound believable, something Hermione was capable of. She hoped she was capable, anyways. She was pretty good at almost everything she tried.

"This mean old woman threw my purse out the window." she began, gauging their reactions. "I jumped out to get it and she shut the window." They didn't look like they quite believed her answer, but they didn't press the subject, for which Hermione was grateful. She grinned at her chicken and took her first bite. It was just as good as it looked from the window! She chewed slowly, savoring the flavor.

Lying, spying, and plotting. She was shaping up to be the master of all Slytherins.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Malfoy enter the restaurant, searching for something, or someone. She slumped into her seat, trying to make herself invisible. She seemed to fail miserably since Malfoy spotted her in a matter of seconds. He locked her eyes and smirked maliciously, causing her to shiver. He seemed slightly less drunk then before. According to her knowledge, not even wizards had a cure for hangovers. He casually strolled through the restaurant, ignoring the throng of waiters and waitresses trying to serve the wealthy Malfoy heir. He looked like he was walking towards their table. He must still be drunk, no matter how sober he seemed. There was no way in hell a sober Draco Malfoy would come for a casual chat with his favorite mudblood and her blood traitor friends. He looked like he was about to eat something delicious. For the second time that night, realization hit the brainy girl like a sack of bricks. She wasn't going to be forced to fall in love. She was going to be eaten. She could think of no worse way to die than being eaten alive by a herd of ravenous death eaters

"Hello, all" Malfoy greeted, almost pleasantly. Blaise looked ready to give Malfoy a swift punch in the nose. Hermione decided to beat Malfoy at his own game. If he could be polite while plotting her demise, she could be equally charming escaping it.

"Hello, Malfoy" Hermione chirped in a sweet tone, "To what do we owe the pleasure of your company?"

Malfoy looked taken aback by her manners but quickly retreated back behind his trademark mask of indifference. He hadn't expected her to figure out the death eaters plans to turn cannibal. It slightly amused her that death eaters were planning on eating her when 'mud' blood ran through her veins. She tried to send Malfoy a look that said 'I know your plan' but to many it looked like a polite glance, something it was definitely not meant to look like.

"Just come to say hello" Malfoy shrugged, clearly bored with their pleasant exchange. He was just waiting to snatch her and bring her to Voldemort.

Their waiter strolled by, standing near Hermione, who was seated opposite Blaise. "How are your meals?" he asked, staring blankly out of fear for Blaise who just smirked calmly. "Would you like another menu for the gentleman?"

Hermione was about to reject and send Malfoy on his merry way. Before she could voice her thoughts, Malfoy replied happily to the waiter.

"I'd love a menu, thanks. Pull up another chair, I'll be dining here."

The waiter looked astonished but complied and walked to the next table, brought the chair to Malfoy who plopped down next to Hermione. The waiter quickly took Malfoy's order, looking rather confused. Who wouldn't be? It wasn't everyday the son of a death eater (presumed death eater himself) decided to have dinner with one of Harry Potter's best friend. Malfoy threw a sweet smile to the other occupants of the table, Blaise in particular. The table became silent, in hopes of encouraging Malfoy to move. What possessed him to eat with them anyways? His father would be outraged he was dining with a Weasley, not to mention a mudblood and a Zabini.

Everyone at the table was lost in thought with the exception of Malfoy, who looked around the table with a bored expression. He sighed and began fiddling with his cutlery. They repeated this for several minutes until Malfoy finally decided it was enough.

"I think we should get to know each other." Malfoy said, a malicious glint in his grey eyes. "We will be spending an entire year together, with the exception of the Weaslette. Don't you agree, Granger"

Ohh, so close to having a completely polite sentence. If he left out the 'Weaslette' part, it might have passed for civil.

Hermione forced a smile onto her face, which looked more like a demented scowl. "Of course" she replied with great difficulty, taking a sip of her beverage to get the unpleasant taste of being civil to Malfoy out of her mouth.

Malfoy smirked at her, his eyes betraying his delight at her answer. "What does everyone do for fun?" he asked, his eyes still locked on Hermione. "I've heard some people spy on others for fun. How pathetic is that?"

Hermione nearly spat out her drink at his statement. She tried to force her face to remain indifferent. It dawned on her, this wasn't Voldemort's plan, not right now anyways. This wasn't business, it was strictly for Malfoy's sick pleasure. A new torment for his favorite mudblood. She had to act fast or Malfoy would tell them what she was really doing on the street. Ginny looked up curiously, she looked like she was about to say something. Hermione couldn't let the happen. Drastic times call for equally drastic measures.

Without warning, Hermione fainted, leaving the others at her table shocked. She peaked her open, careful not be alert the others to the fact she was awake. Malfoy was stared straight at her. Amusement dancing in his eyes. Malfoy stood, swaying slightly. So he was drunk, that explained a lot. He never left his emotions so unguarded.

"I'll take her back to your room." he announced, taking the key from Ginny who, for some reason, gave it to him willingly. "I'm sure you won't be back for awhile" he slurred slightly, "Seeing as Weaslette'll have to work in the kitchens since her family house wouldn't be enough to cover half the bill"

With that, Malfoy dragged Hermione out of the restaurant by her arm. She decided it was better to look like a fool and let herself be dragged, and then let everyone know she was faking the entire ordeal. She promised herself that she would hurt Malfoy at the first opportunity. He swung her out of the restaurant, the door closing painfully on her foot. He drug her further towards the hotel before dropping her arm and staring at her expectantly. He leaned down towards her. Oh, Merlin. He was going to kiss her. Sully his good name just to make her want to cut off her lips.

"I know you're awake, Granger" Malfoy stated simply, expecting her to answer. He rolled his eyes at the remaining silence. He sighed and bent down, presumably to drag her the rest of the way to her room.

Her opportunity arrived. She delivered Malfoy a swift kick in the shins, causing him to grunt in pain.

"Bloody Hell, Mudblood" he cursed under his breath, he wouldn't admit just how painful it was but his wince gave it away, causing Hermione to grin with pride. It was like third year all over again. She remembered that day. How could she not? She considered it one of her single greatest feats accomplished at Hogwarts. Took far too long, though. Whoever said revenge is best served cold is an idiot. Revenge is best served when that angry fire is still alive in your veins, urging you forward, compelling you to defend your honor.

Malfoy seemed to regain his composure, though to Hermione delight, he seemed to be favoring his left leg. He glared coldly at her as she stood and brushed dirt from her robes.

"Lets cut to the chase, shall we, Mudblood. I have no reason to talk with you for any longer than necessary." he spat at the scholarly girl. "I want to know why you were spying on your idiotic 'friends'. While we're on the subject of explanations, tell me where you thought up that bonehead theory you were sputtering on about yesterday. I had to throw out that robe. Covered with your mudblood germs"

Hermione stared up defiantly, the grin on her face wavering. "Whatever makes you think I have any desire to talk to you? This entire conversation is unnecessary"

Malfoy studied her, his cold eyes traveling over her face. "You will answer your betters, Mudblood" he stated calmly. He stared into her eyes, mesmerizing her. She had always thought they were emotionless and gray but she was wrong. They were emotionless, yes, but they weren't gray, you couldn't describe them with a simple color like gray. They were more silver than grey, flecks of a bluish hue were scattered throughout. They were just beautiful.

She didn't know what compelled her, she considered herself equal to the slimy ferret. She assumed it was because she was tired but for whatever reason, she answered him.

"I didn't come up with that theory" she started uncertainly, her voice faltering slightly. Malfoy looked slightly more interested; he leaned in so he could hear the explanation. "Harry did"

Malfoy didn't seem concerned that she didn't answer his first question. His eyes crinkled with amusement.

"So Potter's balmy." Malfoy said, a smirk plastered on his face. "I always thought he had to be somewhat insane, with what he does in his spare time"

Hermione was confused. Harry did what most teenagers did in their spare time, did that make everyone crazy? He procrastinated, played Quidditch, and everything else that teenage boys found amusing. "What do you mean?" she asked, her face expressing her befuddled thoughts. Malfoy gave a halfhearted shrug, he seemed to have lost he cheeriness. Just as well, it scared the hell out of her to see Malfoy acting like one of those jolly elves, all happy and joyous.

"Saving the world" Malfoy said. Hermione would have sworn he sounded sad, if it had been anyone but Malfoy. Malfoys were never sad, nor angry, or any other possible emotion except for malicious and evil. Once in a while he would be genuinely surprised, but never more than once a month. "You'd have to be just a little insane to do it once, let alone the five or six times he's done it."

She couldn't help herself. She chuckled at his words, shocking both of them into silence. She wished she had smothered that laughter, but she couldn't help it. She had thought the very same thing. She would rather square dance with Voldemort then share a laugh with the Slytherin Prince.

Malfoy threw the room key Ginny gave him at Hermione and turned. "Don't try and knock down my door tonight, Granger"

"Drop dead, Malfoy" Hermione called after him, as he stalked back to his room. She sighed; she'd have to spend an entire year with that git.

_Best rest up. I have a long year ahead of me_

With that thought, she slowly trudged to her room and crawled into bed. The morning light always made life seem brighter, no matter how dark or hopeless it seemed.

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**End of the Chapter**

**A/N: **

Wow, this is out a lot sooner than I expected but what can I say, I was on a roll. I'm pretty happy about the response to the first chapter of my first story. I'm glad people are reading (and enjoying) it. I'm going to have lots of homework to do so I regret to tell you I expect the next chapter be out around November 4th (a Saturday). I'll be super busy with homework and Halloween (I'm being a ninja turtle!) so writing drops down on my priority list. I might try and release my Hermione/Draco/Blaise one-shot sometime between chapters.

Before I get any questions about it, I want to sort out the part at the beginning of the chapter, when Hermione thinks about her parents. Details about her parents and what happened to them will be explained in later chapters so I won't actually answer any questions people have about them yet. Same with Lucius. Blaise mentions he is in prison and he is. How, why and all other questions will be answered later.

I some of Blaise's point of view in this chapter. I'll probably switch off between Hermione, Blaise and Draco while at Durmstrang, maybe adding the odd segment of Victor Krum in there. Once about every five chapters, I'll write about the going ons back at Hogwarts. I have some interesting plans for Hogwarts so I could write Hogwarts more or less often, depending on how I'm feeling. I already have some plot ideas for Hogwarts. I'll try to dedicate entire chapters to Hogwarts so it doesn't switch around a lot.

Also, Hermione is trying to find Ginny a guy because she doesn't want either of her friends to get hurt, not because she hates Harry or anything. Harry has not dated Ginny nor is he harboring any other feelings besides friendship for her. I don't think I want any Ginny/Blaise in this story but that is up for debate. What my readers want, they'll get (unless it majorly interferes with my plot). I'm not a huge fan of the Ginny/Blaise pairing. In truth, I'm not a huge Ginny fan period. I only use her because I think Hermione needs a girl to relate to.

I also want Victor to be at Durmstrang with Hermione so I'm de-aging him by two years. He should be finished school but now I am going to make him on his seventh year. I realize that doesn't work with HP and the Goblet of Fire but I don't really care.

I would like to thank the wonderful people who reviewed:

KimberlynnAstonia

forkslover1

bloodwitch88

Hopefully, while I'm pleased with the reviews I got, I'll get even more with the addition of my second chapter. It's because of those wonderful reviewers that I was inspired to update so quickly. I got more hits than I expected. I'm still expected to get a chapter out every two weeks.

Anyways, thanks for reading. I'll try and get the next chapter out as soon as possible.

**Review**


	3. Learning the Ropes

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own Harry Potter or any characters common to my story and J.K. Rowling's books.

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**Chapter 3**

**Learning the Ropes**

Hermione awoke bright an early in preparation for her trip to Durmstrang. The sun was already peaking through the half open curtains of her dingy room at the Leaky Cauldron. She tiptoed towards the bathroom but growled in frustration when she found it occupied. Of all the days Ginny could have woken up early, she just had to choose this one. As much as it frustrated her, it was in her favor that Ginny had woken up early. Hermione would need to make herself presentable since she would meet her classmates for the next year.

Hermione rapped lightly on the bathroom door, urging her friend to hurry with whatever she was doing. She could hear an exasperated sigh from the bathroom but still heard the faint click of the unlocking door. Hermione scurried through the door and grabbed her toothbrush from her toiletries bag. She could magic her teeth clean but after what happened to her parents, she had begun to practice, once again, the routine of her childhood. She spared a quick glance towards Ginny, finding her best female friend looking completely disheveled and rather cross. Hermione returned her toothbrush to its cap and grabbed Ginny's hand. Her hands felt cold and clammy, like death or something to a lesser extent. Maybe she had spent the night in the alley. No, Blaise wouldn't let her do that.

She led the younger girl to her bed, and pulled her down to sit beside her. Her red hair looked matted and slightly greasy, her eyes were bloodshot (Hermione wasn't sure if it was because she was crying or lack of sleep) she was still wearing the clothes from the night before, which were creased and stained, and she was wearing an expression of passionate rage. What had happened the night before? Last night should have been a magical night for Ginny. She got to spend time alone with the man who would become her future husband. She should be telling Hermione stories with a dreamy look in her eye. Not cursing under her breath and looking like she slept in the gutter.

"What the hell are you staring at?" Ginny demanded angrily, which shocked Hermione to no end. Ginny had never talked to her like that before. Hermione overheard her talking in the same fashion once in a while to her brothers or people from Slytherin but she never used that tone with Hermione. Hermione stared at the alien Ginny, dumbfounded. She had no right to talk to someone who was trying to help her like that!

"I'm staring at someone who looks like they slept on the street" she countered, ignoring Ginny's resentful expression. Ginny looked at Hermione somewhat curiously and surveyed her mangled clothes. The once midnight dress robe was cluttered with random pieces of dirt. It had a major rip along the seam of the left side and many minor rips, leaving the once elegant robe a decrepit mess. Hermione slightly wondered how Ginny didn't notice her state when she was in the bathroom, a room covered with mirrors.

"I look horrible" Ginny murmured, she seemed to be talking to herself rather than Hermione.

"Let's get you cleaned up" Hermione suggested, digging through her bag for some make-up. She searched through Ginny's suitcase for an outfit for the distraught girl. She selected a casual pale pink robe and a pair of black trousers. She held up the outfit for Ginny's approval. Ginny just shrugged but she a slight smile appeared on her face. Hermione's mood brightened somewhat now that Ginny was feeling a little better. Hermione decided to play off Ginny's slight improvement and demand to know what happened. Mrs. Weasley would never forgive her if something truly atrocious happened to her baby girl.

Hermione realized how lucky she was they had both woken up early. She still had to get herself ready, but instead, she was overseeing Ginny. Maybe when Hermione finished, Ginny would be in a better mood and she could get Ginny to make her presentable. Hermione shooed Ginny into the bathroom to have a shower and tried to start getting herself ready for the day.

She sighed; Ginny obviously didn't want to talk about what happened. She made a mental note to ask Blaise about it when she got to Hogwarts.

Hermione rummaged through her trunk, throwing clothes left and right in search of her important letter. She pulled the slightly crumpled paper from underneath her pewter cauldron and began attempting to smooth the battered letter. She received this letter weeks ago. It was the information she would need for her voyage to Durmstrang. She reread the letter;

_Dear Hogwarts Student_

_First, we at the Durmstrang Institute of Magic would like to congratulate you for having the highest grades of your year. We are delighted you will be attending our institute for the duration of the school year. _

_Due to security reasons, we are not permitted to disclose the location of the school to anyone other than our staff and students. We have arranged with your headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, to provide transportation from Hogwarts. _

_Your transportation will arrive at Hogwarts on the 15th day of August at noon. We suggest you be at Hogwarts by eleven o'clock for any parting words your headmaster may have. You will leave promptly at twelve thirty. Due to our lack of time, any student who is not at Hogwarts at this time will be left behind. You will be arriving at Durmstrang institute the following morning. _

_Three seventh year Durmstrang students will be assigned to help with your transition. They have all agreed to help the student they are assigned and answer any questions they might have about our institute. They will be accompanying you on your voyage to our institute in order for you to acquaint yourselves with one another. _

_We debated the issue of your sleeping arrangements and we at Durmstrang have come to the following conclusions. The staff feels it would be best if the Hogwarts students share a common room. We feel it would be the most ideal situation to live with others whom you are acquainted with and provide you with a certain level of familiarity and comfort. _

_You will receive your course schedules once you reach our institute. _

_We look forward to meeting you at Durmstrang. We hope you enjoy the coming year at our school._

_Igor Karkaroff_

_Headmaster_

_Durmstrang Institute of Magic_

Hermione hugged the crumpled parchment to her chest and sighed. She could escape for the year and forget everything. All her worries, fears, even her dreams could lay comfortably waiting for her once she returned to Hogwarts. She didn't have anyone to please at Durmstrang except herself. She wouldn't only be seen as the female member of the golden trio or the Gryffindor Princess, a nickname she particularly hated. Seamus Finnigan had thought of it during her fourteenth birthday party that Lavender and Parvati had thrown for her. Parvati had got her a fake gold crown with deep red jewels (also fake) for her birthday and she had worn it for the entire party with pride, it was a beautiful present. Seamus made a joke about her being the Gryffindor Princess and the name stuck. Even Slytherins would sometimes address her with it, usually for malicious purposes, of course.

She sighed happily and began to re-organize her trunk and supplies for the journey; one could never be too organized. She whistled a cheerful tune as she grabbed her new Durmstang uniform which, like the blood-red coat she had received, was suited for colder climates. She tucked them into her book bag, which she was using to pack anything she might need for the journey to Durmstrang, and began sorting the books she was going to take. She finally narrowed her selection down to two books, her book on Durmstrang and _Achievements in Charms,_ along with all her required school books. She carefully placed them on top of her luggage so she could have easy access to them on the trip.

She finally heard the shower stop and waited patiently for the red headed girl to emerge. She grabbed her assortment of clothes and outfits she put together so Ginny could voice her opinions. Hermione rarely dressed before consulting her fashion guru. She wondered what kind of hopeless fashion disaster she would look like at Durmstrang. Since she still had Ginny's services, she could get her to put together some outfits for her to wear at Durmstrang, if she was in a better mood, that is. Showers always cheered her up for some unfathomable reason; hopefully it would do the same for Ginny.

Ginny walked out of the bathroom looking much leaner and refreshed than she had been. She looked downright cheerful as she carefully looked over Hermione's fashion choices.

With a smile on her face, she assessed Hermione's clothes. "Why Hermione, I think I may have taught you all you need to know. I might have thought that I had put together some of these outfits, if I didn't know better."

Hermione smiled and picked one of her favorite outfits from the pile, to which Ginny nodded in approval. Her mood, though a welcome change, was slightly unnerving. Hermione figured it would be safer not to test her mood by mentioning whatever had happened before. Hermione quickly changed into her clothes, which consisted of a modestly cut dark green V-neck sweater over a white tank top and dark wash bootleg jeans. She threw her hair up into a haphazard bun. She carefully packed the rest of her luggage with Ginny's help.

Before she knew it, it was time to leave for the station. She grabbed her bags and lugged them down towards the fire place in the lobby near the bar. Ginny grabbed a handful of floo powder after giving Hermione a tight hug and wishing her a great year at Durmstrang. Hermione sighed as Ginny disappeared into the green flames. She felt like following Ginny to the Burrow and saying good-bye to everyone but she wasn't looking forward to another fight with Harry. Even if Harry didn't fight with her, she would be late for the train, to Malfoy's delight. She resolved to send everyone letters once she arrived at Durmstrang, her new school. The thought of being in a new place with new people scared the living daylights out of her but it was too late now. It was an excellent experience and she would have no problems.

For some reason, she felt utterly alone in the world at that moment. Hermione was never one to feel sorry for herself. She though people who pitied themselves just didn't know how deal with their problems, yet at that moment, she wanted to march right back up to her room, crawl back into bed and let the day pass.

She shook her head and grabbed a handful of Floo powder. She knew exactly how to deal with her problems. Study. The only constant in her life were her books. They could never change; they always offered the same rich knowledge. Whenever she felt the seams her of life being ripped apart, she withdrew into her studies until the problems passed. This system had helped her get through the worst times in her life and she knew it would continue working.

She threw her handful of Floo powder into the hungry flames. They danced around her slim figure as she took a dainty step into the glowing green embers. As a muggle-born, she never felt comfortable with Flooing. Fire was something to be feared or something to experiment with. It was not supposed to be a form of transportation, but she would need to get used to it.

"Platform 9 and 3/4"

With a barely audible 'pop', the young Gryffindor disappeared into the flames, chestnut curls and all.

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She looked around Platform 9 and 3/4 thoughtfully, reminiscing about the many times she had been in the usually cramped platform. This was where it all started for her. Her magical life began here at the end of every summer. It may end when June is finished, but every year she felt the pull to remain grow stronger and stronger.

She saw the majestic crimson paint of the Hogwarts Express. It seemed to have shortened itself to accommodate the number of people who would be traveling on it. Instead of the usual mass of compartments, she could only see three windows on either side of the train. She heaved her trunk across the platform and struggled to lift it onto the luggage storage rack underneath the train. After several minutes and countless attempts, Hermione finally shoved his heavy trunk into the luggage compartment and swiftly shut the hatch.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a flash of bright red. She would have thought it was Ginny, but the younger girl had gone home earlier to rest up. Poor girl seemed to really need to go home. Hermione reminded herself once again to talk to Blaise about what happened to Ginny. He would surely know. What kind of boyfriend was he is he let the future Mrs. Zabini get into trouble while on a date with him? They may not be officially dating, but they were so close to jumping each other, she would be careful to leave them alone as much as possible. They would get married even quicker if Hermione Elizabeth Zabini was conceived. How mischievous! How daring! How...Slytherin.

She walked towards the place she saw the pre-mentioned flash. She ran into someone she didn't expect to see here. She was thrilled that her best friends had come to see her off to Durmstrang.

"Harry! Ron!" she shouted, pulling both boys into a tight hug. Before, she hadn't been sure if she wanted to see them before she left, but she couldn't have been any gladder that her two best friends were there to see her off to her new school. It was only then, on the train platform which she would be leaving shortly, that she realized she wouldn't see her two best friends for an entire year. Who would remind her to eat during exams or hide her textbooks so she couldn't study during a Quidditch game? Not that the latter was a good thing, it was just something she would miss a little bit. Did Durmstrang even have Quidditch? Knowing teenage boys, it most definitely would.

With tears suddenly flowing from her chocolate brown eyes, she hugged her friends even tighter, constricting their breathing.

"I'm going to miss you both so much!" Hermione cried, clinging harder onto Harry's muggle t-shirt.

"If you're going to miss us so much, then don't go." Harry suggested, earning himself a shove and a glare from his female best friend.

Hermione sighed softly, shuffling away from Harry. Of course he didn't come to see her off and give her his blessing. He just came for a final attempt to stop her from leaving for Durmstrang.

"You're completely batty, Harry" Hermione said, scathingly. "You've completely crossed over the line between sanity and being absolutely barmy. Actually, you're so far past the line, you can't even see it! To you, the line is a tiny little dot on the horizon that you can only see when you squint really hard. You're the King of the Nutters, Harry. Now get this through your thick skull. I AM going to Durmstrang, I AM going to get top marks, and I AM completely capable of taking care of myself without my two bodyguards."

Harry looked none too impressed by Hermione's wordy rant of how crazy he was becoming. Was being worried about a friend's safety deserving the title of King of Nutters? Most definitely not!

"You're absolutely right Hermione." Harry replied, coolly.

"I am?" Hermione asked, confusedly. She cocked her head to one side and attempted to puzzle out Harry's words. Why would someone admit they were barmy? They wouldn't, which means he has a devious plan. Looks like she wasn't the only one who could've been in Slytherin.

"I shouldn't worry about you at all." Harry said, calmly.

Hermione knew he meant business when he used that tone of voice. Being his best friend for so many years, Hermione could read his moods from his body language and tone of voice. Right now, he was really struggling to stay calm. He had used that 'calm' voice a lot when they encountered Malfoy and his Slytherin cronies. Underneath his calm exterior, he was boiling mad, ready to blow like a volcano when the first chance presented itself. She knew it would be long now...

"You'd have to be an absolute idiot to worry." he continued, still using his calm tone that scared Hermione out of her wits. "With all the death eaters running around, out for our blood, I'd have to be insane to worry about my best friend! I already lost my godfather and now I run the chance of losing one of my best friends. Forgive me for not leaping for joy at the thought of Voldemort hurting someone else close to me."

There it was. Boom! Harry rarely referred to his now deceased godfather, Sirius Black. He seemed to prefer to try and forget that his godfather was murdered by a death eater, Sirius' own cousin, right before his eyes. Not that she could blame him. Who would want to remember a moment like that?

"But you won't lose me, Harry." Hermione said softly, attempting to calm the raging Harry. Geez, he was sensitive. One simple comment on his sanity and he goes bonkers. Bloody Lunatic.

"How do you know that?" Harry asked, seeming slightly less enraged.

Hermione bit her lip thoughtfully. How did she really know she wouldn't die?

"I don't." Hermione said, simply. "But I have faith that I won't. I know you'll always be there to save me, Harry."

"I won't be there for an entire year! Anything could happen" Harry ranted.

"It could happen but that doesn't mean it will. Something could happen to you, something could happen to someone across the country. Anything can happen; I'm not going to say it couldn't. All I want is to assure you that I'll handle anything that does happen. I will see you at the end of the year."

Harry looked unconvinced by her words but luck seemed to be on her side. The shrill bell of the Hogwarts express sounded, drowning out Harry's last words. She scurried quickly to the train after giving the two boys another heartfelt hug. She waved good-bye to Ron and Harry before climbing the steps onto the train. She immediately found a scowling Blaise Zabini waiting for her. His foot tapped and he seemed to be deeply annoyed with something. He attempted a grin when he saw his ally, but it came out looking like a demented scowl. Hermione sat across from him in the compartment. Her brilliant smile soon faded as she spent minutes in the silent atmosphere of the compartment. She almost wished Malfoy would come trade insults, just to liven things. As if one cue, the compartment door slide open, revealing a smug looking Draco Malfoy. Stupid bloody wishes. Adds new meaning to 'Be careful what you wish for' because the bloody worst wishes seem to have a nasty habit of coming true.

"Traitor" Malfoy greeted, cheerfully. "And of course, Mudblood."

Hermione scowled, a frown etched deep onto her face. Bloody lovely. What was he? A bloody genie? Did he hear wishing for him to come in her mind? She wasn't in the mood for another battle with the infamous Slytherin Prince.

"Sod off, you bloody albino ferret" Hermione hissed, loud enough to earn a chuckle from Blaise. Maybe wishing for Malfoy wasn't so bad after all; Blaise seemed a little less moody after the ferret insult.

Malfoy smirk faded, replaced with an angry scowl. He'd look like a disgrace if he let a silly little mudblood beat him.

"I'd much rather stay here with the beaver and her pet"

Hermione bristled at his beaver comment. She remember the day he had charmed her teeth to grow. Ever since, Malfoy and her Slytherin cronies (and the occasional malicious Ravenclaw) called her either mudblood or beaver, neither name being particularly charming. Ever since, she had been aware of the size of her teeth, until last summer when she had used a shrinking charm to make her teeth the perfect size. Being dentists,

Blaise stood abruptly; he muttered something about getting some snacks from the trolley and proceeded out of the compartment, leaving Hermione all alone with Malfoy. They glared at each other in complete silence, neither wanting to back down.

"Have you gained weight, Granger? You look fat" Malfoy said.

"Well you're a prat" Hermione countered.

"Slut"

"Man-whore"

"Beaver teeth"

"Ferret face"

"Witch"

"Bit--" she halted abruptly in mid insult. She almost lost her composure. She almost called Malfoy a bit-- derogatory name for a female dog, which was kind of silly since he wasn't even female and ferret described him much better than a dog. Stupid Malfoy, he probably planned that with his insults, he knew that she would just follow what he was saying. How else could she have responded to witch?

Malfoy had a superior smirk plastered on his face, he obviously though he had won. Oh how wrong he was. She would show him who the real winner was. Hermione pulled back her left leg and gave him a swift kick in the shin. To her immediate delight, he collapsed onto the seat across from her, groaning in pain.

'And this is exactly what would continue for the entire year', she realized. Did she really want to spend the year looking over her shoulder, waiting for Malfoy to spring some sort of trap or spell on her? It would distract her from her studies, something that would not stand! She would solve the problem before it started. As much as it hurt her Gryffindor pride, she had to admit Malfoy would be able to do some damage if he put his mind to it. It would be safer to not be his enemy, at least for now, anyways.

"Malfoy, this may seem crazy but...maybe we shouldn't be at each other's throats. Maybe we should have some sort of truce for the year." Hermione said apprehensively. How would a Malfoy respond to a truce with a mudblood?

"Rich coming from the little bint who just kicked me." Malfoy muttered, still nursing his shin. "Same bloody spot as yesterday, too!"

"Well? Is that a no or a yes?" she asked impatiently.

"It's a hell no, Granger." Malfoy replied coldly. "You're almost as barmy as Potter, and that's saying something! A Malfoy saying yes to something like that would be as bloody likely as Voldemort square dancing with the Weasley family."

She could feel her anger building. He could have just said no, other comments were unnecessary but he found the need to continuously push all her buttons. She tried in vain to sooth herself. Like she told Harry so many times, Malfoy simply wasn't worth it. The bloody git wasn't worth the gum stuck to her shoe.

"Oh damn," Hermione muttered to herself. There really was gum on the bottom of her shoes. And they were so new and shiny. They were black with a small one inch heel, the highest heel she could wear without falling over. They had little silver clasps over the sides. In all, they were rather attractive shoes and she was somewhat depressed to have scuffed them already. Her parents had given them to her for her birthday. It was the first time she had ever wore them in public and they had gum stuck to them. It was probably Malfoy's bloody fault, too!

She shrugged and pulled out her book on Durmstrang. She might as well read up on their customs and status before she met their 'tutors'. She figured she could read the non-essential parts later, at this time, it was important for her to learn about Durmstrang's hierarchy and social standings. She didn't know how she would be ranked, being a muggle-born witch. That though worried her. Durmstrang had only began admitting muggle-born students a few years ago and from what she had heard, the prejudice hadn't disappeared. If anything, Victor told her in the letter he had written after she told him the news, it was almost worse than before. For some reason though, he told her not to worry about herself. No matter how much she trusted her friend, she couldn't help but worry. How could he prevent anything from happening to her? He probably couldn't. They wouldn't even have any classes together, since he was a year ahead of her.

She turned the pages of the book carefully until she reached her desired section which happened to be on page 263.

'_The Durmstrang hierarchy system has been regarded as a highly efficient system used around the world. It was first developed in 1789 at Durmstrang by the headmaster, Reganis Volkov, when he chose a responsible seventh year student to be his student advisor. _

In the current system, a seventh year student is appointed as the 'King". This student can be male of female, though the title remains the same. Simply, they ensure the other students treat everyone with dignity and respect. He or she acts as the student representative in staff meetings. Unfair detentions and assignments are brought by student to the attention of the 'King'. It is their reasonability to ensure a practical work environment for all residents of the school. They are able to give detentions to their fellow students, as well as punish those who break the rules. The 'King' is given all the powers and rights as a professor of the institute. He or she had access to all sections of the library and has unlimited access to any part of the school.

The King is expected to maintain their grades, though teachers have been known to be more lenient towards Kings due to their heavy work load. The King is usually well respected before he becomes King to ensure that other student accept his or her leadership. The student selected is usually among the brightest of the year to ensure no difficulties arise between their responsibilities and their studies.

The King chooses a group of students of any year to be part of his court. The King's court consists of students whom the King feel will be good role models for other students. Members of the court are expected to help the King with his duties as well as have responsibilities of their own. Students from any year, including first, can be chosen as a member of the court. Among these members are the deputies. These members of the court are the closest to the King. They aid the King by watching their fellow court members, making sure they are not abusing their powers as members of the court. Court members can be demoted at any time by the King. Only the King had the power to demote those in his court. Even the professors at the school do not have to power to demote a member of the court.

The King and his court resides in the East Wing of the school. Members of the court are grouped into groups of four by the King for rooming. Each room consists of four bedrooms, two bathrooms, and one common room to be shared with the other members of the court residing with them. The King is given his own room unless he wishes otherwise.'

"What are you reading, Granger," Malfoy asked almost curiously. If he had emotions and feelings, she would have swore he was interested in her book. But alas, he was a Malfoy. An unfeeling troll from the bowels of hell.

"A book. Now leave me alone," she murmured. Malfoy little interruption ruined her concentration. Everyone knew not to disturb her while she was reading unless it was an emergency. Ron learned that the hard way after she threw her book, Advanced Rune Translation, when he persisted in talking to her while she was studying for her exam fourth year exams. No one understood that studying was a silent activity meant to enrich your brain. It was not a time to be social.

_'The King is given his own room unless he wishes otherwise.'_

Damn him! It would be a miracle for him to escape with all his limbs now that he effectively disturbed her. To be fair, since it was his first offence of interrupting her reading, she would give him one more warning before all hell broke loose.

"Get out, Malfoy. If you get castrated, its your own bloody fault," she hissed dangerously. If he didn't leave now, she could promise that he wouldn't be able to even think of procreating for months. She sniggered at the though, how disappointed the sluts of Durmstrang will be. The idea seemed even more pleasant the more she though about it. She started to hope that he didn't oblige. She wanted him to stay, the thought of castrating the Slytherin 'sex god' (according to Pansy, who wasn't a very reliable source) sent shivers of excitement through her. Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be.

"I wouldn't want to stay anyways. I have more valuable things to do with my time." Malfoy said quickly, almost nervously, before sliding the compartment door shut behind him. Finally alone, Hermione turned back to her book.

_'The King is given his own room unless he wishes otherwise.'_

_The King helps his or her school with integrity and intelligence. It is because of this that the Durmstrang system is the envy of all wizarding schools around._

Hermione furrowed her eyebrows. The book basically explained that whoever the 'King' was and the rest of his court ruled over the other students like Malfoy and his posse ruled over the Slytherins. It took her a moment to realize that the Hogwarts system was very similar, if not identical. The King would be considered the Head Boy or Head Girl and the court were the prefects. She only had to worry if this King was prejudice against muggle-born and half-bloods. She doubted Blaise and Victor would be able to help her if the King was against her. Hopefully, the King would be some kind of Arthur Weasley clone. Except he would be devilishly handsome with dark brown locks and he whisk her away to become his bride after they finished school. After their marriage, they would crusade for elf rights until their first child was born, who would be named Larissa Ginevra Granger-King. Then they would settle down in Ireland and raise their children in a peaceful environment.

She shook her head; day dreaming would be saved for later. Now, she would confront Blaise about Ginny's early morning problems. She didn't have to wait long for him to return. Shortly after Malfoy left, Blaise came strolling back in with an armful of sweets. It almost seemed like he had been waiting for Malfoy to leave before returning. His sweets spilled out onto the seat beside him. He seemed to have bought out the entire trolley with all the food he bought. For some unfathomable reason, he also bought numerous Cockroach Clusters. Hermione couldn't stand those bitter sweets; they tasted like feet and something else she preferred not to identify.

"Blaise," Hermione began sweetly. "Have you any idea why Ginny was so upset this morning. She seemed fine before Malfoy dragged me away."

Blaise looked at her questioningly, "You remember being dragged away by Malfoy? I thought you had fainted." His eyes narrowed suspiciously as he studied her. What she needed was another Slytherin moment so she could think of a quick lie to get her out of her sticky little situation.

"Uhm, Malfoy told me about it! When I woke up. He threatened that if I told anyone that he was acting nice, even if I didn't remember any of it, that he would...kill my cat!" Hermione lied quickly. Blaise seemed to believe her petty lie, because looked disgusted at the thought.

"Malfoy would stoop low enough to kill someone's cat? I always known he was deranged. Now I have even more proof."

Proof? Not quite, but Hermione nodded her head sincerely. "Back to Ginny," she prodded, thanking the tiny Slytherin who seemed to live in her head for the quick thinking.

"She was an annoying little bint," Blaise huffed, grabbing a handful of chocolate frogs. "I suppose I was a little harsh on her, now that I think about it. I yelled at her a bit." He had the decency to look guilty for yelling at someone younger than himself.

Hermione's face froze at his words. Annoying little bint? Those words destroyed her perfect vision of the future Mr. and Mrs. Zabini. And now what would happen to little Hermione Elizabeth Zabini? Hermione sighed sadly; her little goddaughter would never be born, just like her would-be parents would never get married. The only suitable man Hermione found had been resistant to Ginny's charms. She had enough, from now on; Ginny would have to find her own men. Except she would just follow Harry around like a lost puppy, or at least until he got married. Hermione doubted, although she had top notch matchmaking skills, that she could convince Harry that Ginny was his soul mate, not the Hermione believed they were soul mates anyways.

Hermione reached across to the pile of treats and grabbed a Pumpkin Pastry. What did muggles call it when you ate sweets after something bad happened? Right, it was called comfort food, and she needed some.

Hermione turned on the bench so she lay on it lengthwise. She propped up her book on her knees, hoping to continue reading. Her mind wandered elsewhere until, moments later, when she fell asleep.

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Hermione was awoken when strong arms roughly gripped her shoulders and shook her awake. She opened a groggy eye to see an incredibly handsome man in front of her. The King? No, they weren't at Durmstrang yet. She opened her eyes wider. Then her consciousness took over. It only took a moment to realize it was Malfoy in front of her. Must've been a dream, she would never mistake Malfoy for anything other than obnoxious and ferret-like.

"What the bloody hell was that for, Malfoy," she hissed sleepily, her head still feeling somewhat heavy. "I was having a great dream and you had to ruin it!"

"Pull yourself together and hurry up," he said. "We're here, you stupid mudblood."

"I'm up, I'm up. Geez. Somebody's got their knickers in a twist," Hermione mumbled under her breath. Malfoy either didn't hear or decided to ignore her comment. Hermione guessed it was the former because Malfoy would either yell her face off if she was taking about his 'glorious, pureblood knickers' or he would start making sexual innuendos to make her uncomfortable.

She stretched lazily and followed Malfoy into the familiar halls of her sanctuary, Hogwarts. To her annoyance, several house elves followed with their assorted luggage. They walked in silence to the Great Hall, almost running so they wouldn't have to stand another minute with the present company. Hermione followed her nemesis through the wide doorway to the Great Hall. She gasped at the sight before her. Almost every professor who had ever taught her (save her muggle teachers) was assembled in the large hall, even Snape, to her surprise, though she realized he was probably there to see off his little pet Malfoy. A large banner hung across the Great Hall, it was charmed to display a new message every minute or so. At first it read, 'Bon Voyage', and then changed moments later to read the names of the students departing.

"Welcome back to Hogwarts," Dumbledore announced to the students. He also seemed to be addressing the three Durmstrang students who were all sprawled lazily at the Ravenclaw table. Hermione studied the Durmstrang students, her new classmates. Both girls were dressed practically, like herself, unlike their male counterpart. He was dressed in a silk button down and black trousers, making him appear to be rich. The boy himself was rather easy on the eyes. He had dark, straight hair that was angled just below his ears. His deep blue eyes were mesmerizing against his olive toned skin.

With the arrival of their Hogwarts counterparts, the Durmstrang students readied themselves with gracious smiles. They rose and walked towards the Hogwarts students. She almost felt as though they were coming to ripe out her soul. She almost flinched when the student closest to her, the boy, reached for her hand in greeting. He grabbed her hand and brought it delicately to his mouth, giving it a quick kiss.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Granger," the Durmstrang boy said casually. "I look forward to getting better acquainted with you this year."

Hermione couldn't help but blush at his polite gesture. She hadn't ever met anyone at Hogwarts with level of etiquette. She could consider Harry and Ron to be barbarians compared to the suave Durmstrang boy in front of her.

"The pleasure is all mine," Hermione replied politely, determined to make a good first impression on her soon-to-be classmate. "But please call me Hermione."

He shot her a dazzling smile before replying, "Of course, Hermione, but only if you call me Kaleb. I'm sorry, but I must introduce myself to your companions, please excuse me."

Hermione watched him trudge towards the Ravenclaw table, where Blaise was currently seated, with a faint blush apparent of her cheeks. It had been a long time since a member of the opposite gender, besides Ron and Harry (They barely counted as members of the opposite sex, to her anyways), had paid any attention to plain, old Hermione Granger.

"Wow, Granger, you move on quick. You just left your little boyfriends Potter and Weasley and you already have someone new. Though what they see in you, one can only imagine."

Hermione spun around on her heel to face the malicious Slytherin Prince.

"What do you want, Malfoy," Hermione asked huffingly.

Malfoy just stared at Kaleb's back, his eyes narrowed into menacing slits. "I don't trust him."

Hermione was confused for many reasons, but what was puzzling her the most was that Malfoy was relaying this information to her, the Gryffindor mudblood. "He seemed perfectly nice to me."

Malfoy turned his head back towards her, his eyebrows raised into elegant arcs. "I suppose I gave you too much credit," he drawled. "I thought you might be intelligent enough to see past his looks. Disappointing, yet unsurprising, you are a mudblood after all."

With his final scathing words, he trudged over towards Professor Snape, who sat alone near the corner of the Slytherin table. Hermione glared daggers at his back, almost hoping that looks could kill, for if they could, someone would have taken care of Malfoy by now and she wouldn't have to deal with him.

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After Dumbledore's brief lecture on how they were representing their country as well as their school, the headmaster led everyone down to the Great Lake, where there was a boat there, similar to the one Durmstrang brought to the Triwizard Tournament. It seemed much less impressive now

Hermione walked beside the two Durmstrang girls, Kalia Hellevi and Reyna Lovisa, who chatted happily among themselves. She slowed her pace and looked frantically for Blaise. He would save her from these insane girls! All they were talking about was clothes, make-up, and Malfoy. In an attempt to be polite, they even tried to include her in the conversation, asking her what muggle make-up was like and what it was like going to school with Malfoy. The situation was getting desperate, she felt as though she would gnaw off her own arm if it would help her escape. She finally spotted Blaise walking by Dumbledore and excused herself from the conversation and ran towards Blaise.

He smiled at her before resuming his conversation with their headmaster. They seemed to be talking about Quidditch, an unlikely subject of the ancient headmaster.

They boarded the large ship and waved good-bye to their former professors. Hermione shuddered at the thought of her new professors. She would have to prove to an entire new staff that she was the very best in all her studies. She may have known it was inhuman to be completely perfect, but that didn't stop her from striving for anything less. If her being wasn't perfect, then she would have to make up for it in her studies. Perfection would be attained in time.

A large, ancient man was waiting for the six students in the cabin. He was so wrinkled; she would have sworn he was over one thousand year old! His robes looked to be just as old, and probably hadn't been washed in that long too. Hermione did her best to smile politely at the sight of the old man. He ushered them towards the group of chairs to their right.

"Welcome," the man said cheerfully. "I am the Transfiguration teacher, Professor Reynolds. I want to congratulate our visitors from Hogwarts."

Hermione gave her new professor a small smile before she raptly focused on his words.

"I would like each of my Durmstrang students to act as a personal tutor for our visitors for the entire year. You are to explain customs and traditions they may not have at Hogwarts. You will help make sure they have a smooth transition to Durmstrang. I will select you partners for the year at random right now. I'd like Mister Einar to pair up with Mister Malfoy. Miss Hellevi with Miss Granger, and Miss Lovisa with Mr. Zabini."

Hermione was delighted with the expression on Malfoy's face when Professor Reynolds announced he was going to be paired up with Kaleb. He looked positively murderous. Hermione wondered if Kaleb would survive the year as Malfoy's tutor.

She was awoken from her daydreams of what horrendous ways Malfoy would torture Kaleb by her own tutor, Kalia. "Hermione, we should probably get this over with. I need to tell you about some of the school rules."

Hermione just shrugged and followed her into a small room off the main cabin. Kalia's calm grin was replaced by a stoic face. Something told Hermione that she may not like the rules of Durmstrang.

"I won't get into the rules on courtesy since I expect you probably had the same rules at Hogwarts, they don't really matter anyways. You need to learn the more important rules about life at Durmstrang. These are rules evoked by the previous King of Durmstrang in 1976. All rules are punishable by the current King, if broken by any student. One of the first and most important rules is about association with death eaters. I don't deny that Durmstrang may have death eaters in the student body but no one speaks of their alliances. You are never to talk about your alliances for either side in the vicinity of the school. This includes talking about you adventures with Potter."

At the mention of Harry, Kalia looked almost disgusted. Hermione looked at her arm suspiciously, checking for any visible form of the dark mark. Kalia didn't seem to take notice and continued with the Durmstrang rules.

"Another rule is that you are not to address the King or his court unless you have been previously introduced or a severe problem takes place. The King is not to be spoken to unless he speaks first. This rule does not apply to court members. A complete list of the rules will be waiting in your common room. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. If you learn the ropes quickly, you won't have any troubles at Durmstrang." Kalia offered Hermione a gentil smile before heading to a small cabin reserved for the Durmstrang students Hermione knew she would not ask her tutor a question unless absolutely necessary.

Hermione wandered back to the main cabin, deciding she didn't feel like facing Malfoy in the Hogwarts cabin. She found Blaise sitting on the couch, browsing though his copy of the Durmstrang book.

"None of those rules are in here," he murmured as she sat beside him.

"I'm sure we won't have any trouble with their rules," Hermione assured him. "I would be worried for Malfoy. He'll have to go an entire year without boasting about him Death Eater connections."

Hermione and Blaise both fell into an uneasy sleep, full of worries and feels that words couldn't alleviate. The last though in Hermione's head before she drifted to sleep was, 'is this really worth it?' Probably not, she decided before she drifted off, seconds behind her Slytherin friend.

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Hermione was pulled from her uneasy sleep when the horn sounded on the ship. The vibrations of the sound shook through her body like a jiggling charm. She lazily stretched her arms, careful to avoid Blaise, who was surprising still asleep beside her on the leather couch. She tripped on Blaise's copy of the Durmstrang book, which ended up lying a couple feet from the couch, as she made her way to the deck. If she was correct, the horn meant they had most arrived at Durmstrang. Anticipation pushed her up to the deck. She had not expected the sight she was met with.

Hermione gasped at the grand sight of Durmstrang as they arose from the depths of the lake. Victor hadn't nearly done his institute justice when he told her about it at the Yule Ball at the Triwizard Tournament. He was right about one thing; the grounds were a lot bigger than those of Hogwarts. The landscape was mountainous with many forests on the premises. The sparkling lake they had just immerged from was a deep blue. As breathtaking as the grounds were, they were outdone by the magnificent castle. It was decorated lavishly with white marble, giving it the air of elegance. It seemed more like a five star hotel where the rich and famous stayed rather than an institute for magical children. It may have been smaller than Hogwarts, but it was substantially more grand than her own school.

Hermione stumbled back down into the cabin, where Blaise was still asleep. She gently nudged his sleeping, form causing him to stir. He swatted at her hand and turned around.

"We're here," Hermione whispered to the groggy boy. He shot up like a Nimbus 2001 broomstick at Hermione's words. He looked excited and nervous, though he would never admit to the latter. He may have disregarded many pureblood traditions, but he didn't lack the trait of pureblood pride, something Malfoy had in abundance.

They stepped out of the cabin into the bright sunlight and walked with their group to the front doors of the castle. As they approached, the doors magically opened, revealing the new headmaster, Igor Karkaroff. He shook Malfoy's hand as well as Blaise's, but stopped short of greeting the third member of the party. He guided them through the halls, which were even more elegant than the outside, until they reached a pair of thick wooden doors. A small sign was displayed beside the doors, hardly noticed behind its thick layer of dust. Upon reading the sign, Hermione was somewhat more hopeful, ' Durmstrang: A place of dignity and integrity'. Hopefully, it would prove true, though the headmaster didn't give any indications that it would.

"Welcome to Durmstrang," their new headmaster, Igor Karkaroff announced with a flourish. He seemed to be mostly addressing Malfoy and Blaise. He was ignoring the brilliant muggle-born witch as if she were a wizarding variation of the plague. Parenting isn't contagious, you silly git. "I would like to tell you how happy we are that you will be attending our institute."

Once again, he shook the hands of the two Slytherin students while completely ignoring Hermione's presence. She wanted to yell at the smarmy bastard. She was the most brilliant witch Hogwarts had seen since Rowena Ravenclaw, herself, and she deserved all the respect Draco Malfoy was receiving from their sorry excuse for a headmaster. She was about to step forward and address the problem when she felt a comforting hand on her shoulder. She turned her head to meet Blaise's gaze. He seemed to be silently begging her to not make a scene on their first day. She nodded in acceptance, though her anger was still bubbling under her skin. It took all of her self-control to smile pleasantly at the headmaster, though he took no notice and continued address Malfoy.

Hermione realized that she should really listen to the 'headmaster'. She caught the end of what he was explaining to Malfoy, who seemed to be his favorite Hogwarts student. "Through these doors and the rest of your student body. You are required to introduce yourself. Since I trust you have all read about Durmstrang, I trust you know that the new King will be assembling his court. After much deliberation, the staff has decided that you will be eligible to join the court, if the King so desires."

The headmaster pushed the heavy wooden door open, revealing a mass of unfamiliar faces and people. At the end of the hall, she spied Victor, who waved once to saw her. She gave him a small smile in return, which he might not have seen at a distance. It was nice to know at least one person other than Blaise and, unfortunately, Malfoy, not that she planned on speaking to the latter more than absolutely necessary.

Hermione stood before the unfamiliar student body, feeling the icy stares wash over her body. Her hand reached out to grab Blaise's hand only to find it was already searching for hers. Hermione found comfort in knowing that her friend needed her as much as she needed him. In such a short time, she had come to depend on him for so much. It was a little frightening but she loved it. He was completely different from anyone she had ever met. She almost considered him a walking oxymoron. He was one of the nicest people she had ever met and he was a Slytherin. He was sensitive to her feelings and was a man, who was presumably straight.

She loved Harry, but she was constantly giving him comfort and never receiving it in return when she needed it. She didn't blame him, he had so many problems to take care of that hers seemed trivial to both of them. Her relationship with Blaise was different, even somewhat more fulfilling. They didn't have save the world or fight evil. They had regular teenage problems, well regular problems for the wizarding world. It was nice to have a break from worrying

As Hermione looked out at the sea of malicious students before her, she realized that the sign by the door was a complete lie meant to reassure the weak, and then bring their fears crashing down around them. The sign should have truly read;

_Welcome to Durmstrang. Please check your sanity and integrity at the door._

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**End of the Chapter**

**A/N: **

First of all, I'm going to answer some of my reviews. I'd like to once again thank everyone who read or reviewed my story. I'd especially like to thank my only reviewer for chapter two.

**mizzlanfear **

- Thanks for the review! I'm planning on Blaise and Hermione becoming very good friends (maybe better than her and the rest of the golden trio) though their relationship will be strictly platonic. This story will be D/H and I don't want Blaise in there to mess it up. There will be a segment in the fourth chapter explaining a little more about Hermione's relationship with Blaise (I already started writing it). Sorry about confusing you with the Voldemort spell theory. Harry made it up trying to convince her to stay at Hogwarts instead of going to Durmstrang. It has no plot significance and will **not** happen in this story. Just a paranoid fear.

**Kimmie Said What **

- Thanks for the support. I was getting pretty discouraged about my story (stats and other pesky problems) and your review cheered right up. Hopefully next time your on, I'll have a couple of new chapters waiting for you.

**merecat **

- I'll keep writing if you keep reading. Thanks for the review

I just want to name all my reviewers again. I love you all to bits. You're all utterly fantastic.

**mizzlanfear**

**KimberlynnAstonia**

**forkslover1**

**bloodwitch88**

**Kimmie Said What**

**merecat**

I know. Its very late and I really apologize. I've been super busy. I have senior band music, pit band music, volleyball team, regular school and a whole swack of other things to do coupled with a minor case of writers black (I ended up re-writing half the chapter on a whim). Thank god Christmas break is coming soon or I'd probably burst with all the stress. Still, that's no excuse; I had plenty of time to write. I could lie and say this won't happen again but it would probably be a lie, truthfully. I will have my next chapter out by December 18th and that is a promise! Yes, I realize that's over a month, but for the next three weeks, I'll have virtually no time to write at all! I just have a lot on my plate right now. I'll write as much as I can.

I have some notes on this chapter so I won't have any readers confused.

I do realize what happened to Igor Karkaroff in the fourth book but as no other professors (to my knowledge) from Durmstrang were introduced, I decided to revive him and continue using him as the current Durmstrang headmaster. He will also not be a death eater but will retain his views on muggleborn witches/wizards. If anyone has any questions on Durmstrang's social system, please review or contact me in some way for information. It's rather lengthy to explain in complete detail. Hopefully, everyone will be able to understand it without need for clarification. There will be some more about it in chapter 4 but that will be mainly Hermione and Draco coping with their new ranks, which will also be announced next chapter. The current King of Durmstrang will also be announced next chapter, though it may not be a surprise to many of you.

Thanks for reading the third chapter in Discover the Darkness

**Review!**


	4. A Society of Slytherin

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter or any characters common to my story and J.K. Rowling's books.

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**Chapter 4**

**A Society of Slytherin**

Harry Potter peered anxiously through the hazy window of the Hogwarts express. Platform 9 and 3/4 was still bustling with the activity of hundreds of forgetful students and loving parents bidding their children a great year at school. A select few parents, namely a certain dumpy looking woman with auburn hair, scolded their children, influencing them to behave with promises of Howlers and other nasty surprises that should wait for them if they decide to misbehave. The boy-who-lived sighed as he looked upon the loving families parting ways. He would never know how it felt to have parents. He might even rather have Lily and James scolding him, persuading him not to misbehave, than have no parents at all. As much as he listened to his friend Ron complains about how his mother smothered him with her love, Harry knew he wouldn't trade her for anything in the world. Harry's last chance of having a loving father figure died with his godfather Sirius Black.

Whenever Ron started to complain about his family, Harry felt a foreign feeling in his chest; it took him almost a year to realize what it was. It was hate. Sure, he considered Ron like a brother, much like Ginny and Hermione were his sisters, but he couldn't stop this feeling from growing, rising until he had trouble containing it every time Ron complained about his family. He loved Ron, he really did. Ron was one of his best friends. He didn't understand how you could hate and love someone at the same time but he did. Ron had everything he wanted and wasn't the happiest boy in the world, and he hated him for it. Ron was loyal, kind, and trustworthy, for that, Harry cherished him.

He couldn't stop the hatred that coursed through his veins, as much as he tried. Ron had a loving family and he didn't value them at all. Once he had even gone far enough to say that he envied the fact that Harry was an orphan. That was the first time Harry had realized that he hated Ron almost as much as the despicable ferret, Draco Malfoy.

The only thing he hated more than his friend was the feeling of hate itself. Hated made him feel like he had no heart at all, that he was no better than Voldemort and his death eater lackeys. He felt inexplicably close to Voldemort whenever one of the Dark Lord's most valued (and only) feelings came upon him. Hatred, cruelty, fear, he felt them all. The entire wizarding world seemed to consider him the Anti-Voldemort. He was barely human in their eyes, always perfect, understanding, and kind. He wished they'd realize that he was only a teenager. They never would. He knew that as long as he stayed in the wizarding world, he would be a symbol for generations to regard with admiration just because he hadn't died when someone fired a curse at him. He didn't even do anything, it was his mother that prevented the curse with her love and yet everyone regarded him as all powerful. Sometimes, he almost wished the curse hit him.

He was shocked out of his ponderings when the compartment door slide open revealing two redheaded children. The two youngest Weasleys sat themselves opposite him, chattering amiably about their favorite Quidditch teams. The two Weasleys were involved in a heated argument about whose team would win the Quidditch cup. Harry wanted nothing more than to shout at them to shut their little faces. He quelled the feeling and sighed. There was a time he would have readily joined their conversation, discussing the newest Quidditch tactics and talking about his favorite players. He wasn't the same person he was years ago. No one seemed to understand that he changed, no one except Hermione.

She was the only person who truly knew him anymore. She was his confident, his lifeline and he didn't know if he could stand the coming year at Hogwarts without her support and understanding. Years ago, if asked to choose between his best friends, he couldn't have chosen. Hell, he might have even chosen Ron as his very best friend. Things change, people change and now, without a doubt, Hermione was his very best friend, perhaps his only true friend.

He felt a sharp tap on his shoulder and shook out of his mind trip to face the two concerned Weasley faces. They looked concerned enough, but were they really? Behind their layers of false friendship, did they care at all? Ginny may have, she always seemed to be talking to him. While her constant babble was annoying, it was comforting to think that someone besides Hermione cared for him.

"You okay, mate?"

Harry nodded and plastered a fake smile onto his face with only one though running through his head, 'This smile would never fool Hermione'. She would have saved her concern for when they were alone, then confront him about it. He would tell her everything, as he had always done. She knew how he felt about everything, including his redheaded friend. She may not have known about his hatred, but he had told her how much he disliked Ron when he talked about family.

It was depressing to know he would have no one to talk to until she returned. Why did she leave him alone with people she knows he can't stand? Did she really care for him anymore than they did? All she wanted to do was see her precious little Victor. He knew she still received letters from her Bulgarian chum, though she never let him read any, no matter how much he pleaded for a peak at one of her weekly letters. He assumed they were engaged in a long distance relationship, one he didn't think would work out.

"Just a little tired, that all," he answered truthfully. He was tired. He was tired of being though of as some bloody messiah of the wizarding world. He was tired of people never understanding him. He just wanted to leave the wizarding world to lead a regular, muggle life. His children wouldn't have to worry about being the children of 'The-Boy-Who-Lived. They would be normal and hopefully, they would be muggles. He didn't know if he could stand them being witches or wizards, leading the lives he fought hard to escape from. Only two more years and he would be free from the shackles that confined him to live in a world that proclaimed a sixteen year old boy as their savior.

The only one who understood him was a world apart from him. Well, truth be told, she was only a couple countries away, but for the amount he would see her, it might as well have been worlds. She could have been on Mars and it wouldn't have seemed any different. It seemed she was always out of reach. They could send letters via owl post but it couldn't be the same. Ink on paper can only help so much.

He had seen this coming for a long time. Well, not exactly this, he never thought she'd go off to another country, but something told him they wouldn't always be together. She always seemed to be busy with new campaigns or homework, which was part of why he loved her. She just wouldn't be Hermione if she didn't do her homework three weeks in advance. Only somewhere along the line, it seems she may have forgotten her best friend. They were still extremely close, sometimes she even put her homework off a couple hours to help him, but he always seemed to take a backseat when something better came up.

Still, maintaining his positive attitude was essential this year more than any. With their leader gone, Slytherins were looking for fights to prove their worth. As much as he hated to admit it, they were losing the battle, and had been for a long time. Ravenclaws, whose intelligence seemed to be almost a downfall in present times, tended to side with Slytherins on most actions, appreciating the cunning intellect in which they carried out their plans. Hufflepuffs tried more or less to remain indifferent, but, if asked to choose sides, Harry was confident they would also side with the cunning snakes. This left Gryffindor all alone waging their ongoing rivalry with the Slytherin house. What was the world coming to anyways? How could they allow themselves to be warped into a society of devious Slytherins? He couldn't be sure. All he knew for certain was that this year, the one year she was not by his side; Harry needed Hermione more than anything.

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Pansy wandered quietly through the hall of the Hogwarts Express, occasionally scowling at younger students. She did have a Slytherin reputation of being devious and cruel to uphold, after all. She looked through the greasy windows of each compartment, carefully looking for other Slytherins in her year. She scowled at the windows. Didn't anyone ever clean this god-forsaken train?

She continued to wander, her mind cursing the other Slytherins for not telling her where they were sitting. As their unofficial leader, they should have waited for her before even getting on the train. Once she located her classmates, Pansy would give them an earful, that was for certain.

As she looked through one window, her eyes were immediately drawn to two head of flaming red hair. Disgusting Weasley hair. She groaned, if the Weasleys were there, it was a certainty that Potter was sitting across from them in all his heroic glory, allowing them to kiss the hem of his robes. They made her sick, those Gryffindor muggle-lovers, hiding behind their golden idol, The-Boy-Who-Never-Dies.

Her eyes carelessly shifted towards the hunched form of Harry Potter. He stared straight ahead; his eyes seemed to focus on the wall. His eyes reminded his so much of Draco's own silver orbs. They seemed cold, calculating, yet strangely intoxicating. His emerald eyes now rivaled Draco's gaze of cold indifference, something they had never held before. In their few encounters, he always seemed to wear his emotions on his sleeve; everyone could tell what he felt. It was strangely refreshing after spending all her time in Slytherin, where people guarded their emotions, even from their best friends, though no students in Slytherin really had friends, everyone was considered an ally in the strange game of perpetual war. Now, the boy who lived seemed to have changed over the long summer months. He didn't seem quite as repulsively joyous as he had been in past years. His eyes held a grim light that seemed almost eerie, like he had witnessed the fires of hell. His head turned and his eyes locked her gaze. His expression didn't change, he looked exactly the same as the previous moment, yet she found him strangely captivating. She found herself unable to break his penetrating stare.

Quite suddenly, Harry shifted his gaze to rest on the female Weasel, severing his connection with the Slytherin girl. The weaslette's lips were moving, probably chattering on about some silly Gryffindor gossip about fluffy bunnies, happy little elves, or whatever those goody Gryffindors chittered about. That girl really needs a social life. Everyone in the entire castle knew of how she pined after Potter, everyone except the boy in question, and her dim-witted brother. Potter's answer must have been very short; he immediately turned away and continued his staring contest with the dirty wall of the Hogwarts Express, oblivious to Slytherin girls and dim-witted friends. The Weasley girl stared through the window at Pansy with a look of intense hatred. Pansy simply smirked at the fiery Gryffindor girl and moved away from the window. She stood blinking outside the compartment, gathering her composure before she continued her search for the other Slytherins. Still, the raven haired boy who was once such a brownnosing teacher's pet stormed her thoughts. She may not have known him that well, but she knew something had changed him. Something huge that shook his entire outlook on life.

She tried to shake her head of the Gryffindor hero, but to no avail.

Still, she had to admit, for a Gryffindor, he was rather attractive. Pansy had always been a pretty big fan of Quidditch, not for the game, but for the abundance of well muscled men who played it. Both Harry and Draco were Quidditch players, a fact Pansy was only too aware of. Gryffindor vs. Slytherin were always her favorite games, where else could she watch both Potter and Draco with no fear of being hit by a stray curse? She would be the first to admit that Harry Potter was certainly hot. Had he been a Slytherin, she most certainly would have made a move on him, unfortunately, that was not the case. While he may be a Gryffindor, that doesn't mean they can't have a little fun, right?

No, Pansy knew the truth, it would never work out. It would have been different if it had been a Ravenclaw, or even a bumbling Hufflepuff fool, but he was a Gryffindor. Even worse, he was the bloody Boy-Who-Lived, being attracted to him spelled out her demise. A Slytherin and a Gryffindor, quite a laughable thought. No, she would keep her damnable teenage hormones in check. If she didn't, her Slytherin peers wouldn't be the worst of her worries. Darker things passed in the Parkinson manor than most people would possibly think. True, many assumed their family held allegiance with the Dark Lord, but no one knew just how deep they went. She stared down at her left wrist, which was currently being covered by her silky Hogwarts robes. In a few short months, a black mark would adorn her wrist, a mark that would forever tie her to the dark arts.

Pansy didn't really know if she wanted to receive the mark or not, not that it was her choice anyways. Her father had decided long ago that she would succeed his place in the Death Eaters since her mother hadn't bore a son who would have served in the Dark Lord's army. She would be proud to bear the mark of such a powerful man, but at what price? Her freedom, her choices, her entire life would be at the mercy of an insane wizard bent on ruling the world. She would be expected to drop everything. Jobs, boyfriends, and anything else that might interfere with her service of her half-blood master. Alas, such is the life of a deatheater.

She peered through one of the last greasy windows in the train and finally spotted her Slytherin peers. Millicent Bulstrode, Daphne Greengrass, and Malcolm Baddock sat smugly in the seats, intimidating the cowardly second year Hufflepuffs who shared the overcrowded compartment. Crabbe and Goyle sat hunched in the corner (or as far into the corner as they could both fit), looking forlorn without their leader. Dumb apes wouldn't know how to get out of bed without Draco's 'encouraging' remarks. Had they had minds of their own, combined with their size, either of them could have been something to take seriously. Fortunately or unfortunately, she wasn't sure which, that wasn't the case. They would, like they had with Draco, cling to a new leader. She only prayed to Merlin they didn't attach themselves to her.

Pansy couldn't help but wonder who replace Draco for the year as their leader. All the students in Slytherin blindly followed Draco's judgment, as though he truly was their king. She greatly doubted that the Slytherins would spend the year Draco would be missing thinking for themselves. It was far more likely that they would find suitable temporarily replacement for their cold Slytherin King. Pansy knew that she would have to choose a candidate for King and support them. It was expected of her due to her high ranking within the Slytherin social structure. Being both a pureblood and a companion of Draco, she would be considered the equivalent of a Slytherin Duchess. The trouble was, being so highly ranked; she was considered to be part of the Slytherin council.

The Slytherin Council was a secret to the student body. Only students in Slytherin house knew of its existence, and they dared not breathe a word to any other students. Not even Blaise Zabini dared to utter anything about the Council, not that anyone would talk to the blood traitor anyway. In reality, Pansy had no problem with Blaise, aside from his neutrality and theories on blood importance. She even tried to make Draco less cruel to him by feigning a crush on the handsome Slytherin chaser. Not that it was too far from the truth, Pansy found his physical appearance attractive. Still, he would never be part of the Council. It was an unwritten rule that council members only 'dated' their own. Dating with Slytherins where more wisely compared to arranged marriages. They used their partners to climb the social ladder and, when the timing was appropriate (when they achieved a higher rank then their partner); they would break off the relationship.

To be part of the Council was an honor for any Slytherin. Draco had been part of the Council since his fourth year, the youngest council member in the twenty-five year history of the Slytherin Council. Now, in her sixth year, Pansy was offered a spot on the Slytherin Council, though it was more assigned than offered, no one dared refuse a spot on the Council.

The Slytherin council was founded to help control their housemates. Members of the Slytherin council were never announced; they shrouded themselves in secrecy, although most could usually figure out the identities of the elusive members. The honor of being part of the Council was usually reserved for older students who were usually in either sixth or seventh year, Draco being a clear exception. Members were always elected by any seventh year council members leaving Hogwarts. It was an unwritten rule that all remaining council members would certainly be on the council all their remaining years, mostly so they couldn't divulge secrets about meetings of the council out of vengeance. Members who wouldn't be returning the next year would choose any new members and inform them before the school year ended.

Like it or not, Pansy now held an important position in the ruling body of Slytherin. Slowly but surely through the next years on the council, she knew she would morph into them. There was a reason everyone knew the identity of council members. In the beginning they started much like Pansy was today, still the cruel Slytherin but with a softer edge. The years on the council morphed them into ruthless, calculating tyrants, easily singled out, even among the ranks of muggle hating Slytherins.

This year, everything changed. She now held the power to help mold her school into the Slytherin image, though such a feat was unlikely to be accomplished in a single year, especially with the absence of their King. The council had worked for years to crush the spirits of the opposing houses but to no avail. Still, it could happen at any given moment. Once the first domino falls, the rest soon follow. The council decided on the first domino years ago. The most infamous Gryffindor, Harry Potter.

. She slowly slid into the compartment shared by her comrades, aware of the stifling silence that filed the room. She gave them a trademark Slytherin smirk. This would be quite the year for Hogwarts. Pansy Parkinson would see to that herself.

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Ginny shot the Slytherin girl a look of distain. The nerve of that disgusting piece of Slytherin trash, looking through their compartment window, and worse, at her Harry. True, he wasn't hers yet, but she had a feeling that this year would be the start of the long-awaited relationship. Everyone in Gryffindor knew that Harry and Ginny belonged together. Who better to marry than your best mate's little sister?

She dreamed up the instance when Harry would confess his undying love for

She needed to repeat that simple phrase through her mind everyday, lest she lose her hope. She tried to forget Zabini's words that night but they swam around her head continuously, constantly prompting unwanted questions into her head. That single phrase broke her more than anything anyone had ever said, even Malfoy whose personal mission seemed to be making Gryffindors miserable.

_Ginny watched as Hermione was dragged out of the comely restaurant by her arch-nemesis, Draco Malfoy. Had she been in her right mind, she probably would never have left them alone, and she most definitely would not have given him the only key to their room. The logical part of her brain that was functioning told her that she would return to either find the room and all their belongings in tatters or find Hermione alone on the street, sleeping off whatever illness had caused her to faint in the first place, both if her luck was really off._

_She stared at her food, noticing how the emerald green trim of the plates matched perfectly with Harry's lovely green eyes. He was all she ever though about, nowadays. She had a great feeling that Harry was finally ready to admit his long suppressed feelings for her this year. _

_A soft cough from the other occupant of the table pulled her out of her daydream. She could vaguely hear him saying something, but all her mind could concentrate on was how his hair resembled Harry's messy raven colored locks. His hair was a tad bit neater than the object of her affection, but the semblance was there. Most pureblood wizards were impeccably groomed with not a single hair out of place, that Draco Malfoy for example. Malfoy is a jerk to be sure, but he is always perfectly groomed, and he has abs you could grate cheese on, something most girls in the Hogwarts castle appreciated, whether they were Slytherin or Gryffindor. Blaise was rather well groomed, but not quite up to the standards of most pureblood families._

_She imagined that she was there with Harry on their first date as a couple. And what a date it would be. She planned out the long night, down to the most miniscule detail. He would arrive at the Burrow to pick her up at roughly seven o'clock on her birthday, August 11th. From there, they would fly on Harry's broomstick to a small muggle community (being careful not to be seen, of course) where they would go dancing. Then they would go for dinner and drinks in Diagon Alley, likely in the very same restaurant she now occupied with her Slytherin companion. Harry would insist on buying her a birthday present. He would take her to the jewellery store and let her pick out anything, regardless of the price. Then he would take her back to the Burrow and he would give her a romantic kiss on the doorstep before he left._

_Once again, a cough shook her from her delightful daydream, and Blaise looked at her sourly. What had she done to deserve such a look? Absolutely nothing! It was common knowledge that all male members of Slytherin house were womanizing arseholes, who cared nothing for anyone but themselves. Still, she hadn't expected Blaise to get mad at her for nothing. Slimy slytherin prick._

_They had been getting along fairly well for the most part that night; at least they were getting along much better than before. She didn't plan to ever talk to him again, mostly because he was Slytherin scum. She couldn't imagine what her brother and the other Gryffindors would say if she openly talked with a Slytherin. Hermione may not care what they would say, but Ginny couldn't bear to see her older brother disappointed in her, not to mention how Harry would react. Hermione could take care of herself. She could stand up to the other members of the golden trio with no problems. Hopefully she wouldn't ask Ginny to back her up, for she most certainly not receives any support from the youngest Weasley. Unless of course Harry supported Hermione's inter-house relations, then, of course, Ginny would gladly offer her help to her lovely bookworm friend. _

_Blaise grabbed the bill and slid his chair away from their small corner booth. Ginny mimicked his actions and followed him towards the hostess booth, where their waitress stood waiting with a perfect smile on her plastic doll-like face. The waitress, who was probably no older than twenty, sent a seductive look towards Ginny's Slytherin companion. The doll earned herself a wink from the sexy Slytherin. Honestly! It was enough to make you sick! Harry would never do something crude like that! How could she compare _

_Blaise dug in his pockets for his galleons. Ginny reached into her own pockets and retrieved her coin purse, which felt surprisingly light. She anxiously untried the velvet sack and poured the contents into her waiting hand. Her face fell at the sight of her measly amount of money. All her money only added up to five sickles and three knuts, hardly enough to pay for a meal at this well established restaurant such as this. What a fool she had been, not checking the amount of money in her coin purse before eating at a restaurant she knew to be expensive. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Now she would look like a fool in front of the attractive Slytherin boy (though he wasn't nearly as handsome as her Harry). They might even make her work until her debt for the meal was completely paid. Unless a certain wealthy Slytherin fell victim to her feminine wiles and paid for her meal..._

_"Zabini...I mean, Blaise...I hope your enjoyed our little evening out. I know I did," Ginny smiled and batted her thick, darkened eyelashes at the handsome Slytherin, disgusted with herself for betraying Harry._

_"I guess I had a good time," Blaise replied quickly. His eyes narrowed suspiciously on the small Gryffindor girl. She could feel the sweat on her forehead. He knew something was up, something that changed the red head's mood towards him entirely._

_"This is a nice place. I only wish I had known it would be so expensive," she said, hinting subtly at her lack of money. Ginny felt proud at her abilities as Blaise immediately understood what she meant him to do. Guess the Slytherin wasn't as stupid as she first thought._

_He sighed discontently and once again began to rifle through his galleons as he paid her bill too. Ooh, her feminine charms must be on fire tonight! With how she carried on during the summer, she would hook Harry with no problems. Harry. The thought of her emerald eyed beau made her weak at the knees. _

_Blaise paused and looked up thoughtfully, clearing his head. A look of silent determination crossed his face, almost frightening Ginny. He began to turn away and walk towards the Leaky Cauldron, before he suddenly spoke. _

"_Pursuing him like this is pointless and pathetic. He'll never love you. Maybe one day you'll realize that. All you are is an annoyance. Stay away from me, and Potter too if you really want to do him a favor." _

_With that, he left the seething Gryffindor behind him and started the path towards their hotel. Ginny glared daggers at the back of his head, wishing she had real daggers to punish him for saying that. Truthfully, part of her had always felt that. She almost believed the Slytherin scum. What if he could never feel the same? What if he could never see her as more than his best friend's baby sister?_

_She shook her head furiously trying to banish the malicious thoughts from her head. Wet tears rolled glistened in her eyes and slipped down her crimson cheek (from embarrassment or makeup, one really couldn't tell at that point). With only one sane thought in her head, she sped off towards the pub where she spent the rest of the night and next morning until she finally crawled back to her hotel room, smashed beyond belief._

Ginny shook her daydream from her head. She knew better than that now, better than to believe what a sniveling Slytherin had said. While Harry hadn't asked her out yet, Ginny refused to give up hope. Deep down. He already loved her. He just hadn't quite realized it yet.

_He'll never love you._

Okay, really deep down, she knew this. Still, Blaise cold, unforgiving words stayed with, despite her many attempts to get rid of them.

_'Damn you, Blaise Zabini. I'll prove you wrong. He will love me, and when he does, I'll laugh in your face. He already loves me. He just hasn't quite realized it but he will. I'll make sure of that!'_

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**A/N: **

I know this chapter is really late, again, but before you start chucking full wine bottles at your computer screen, hear me out. My life is incredibly, horribly busy. The thing taking up most of my time is school. My new semester really sucks. I have English, Socials, and Science all together (not to mention Socials is in French. Blek!) Band is taking up a lot of time now too. I'm leaving for a band trip to New York in a couple of weeks and I really need to practice my music. After that is bowling, which takes up a surprising amount of time (We just came back from provincials. Got the bronze!). I also have badminton and my job at Shoppers Drug Mart. I barely have time to sleep let alone right (I usually get about 5 hours of sleep). Still, I suppose I don't have a great excuse seeing as this chapter is a couple months late. I'll try really hard to get more chapters out. It's unfair to you guys to just stop writing like that. I'm really sorry. Hopefully my loving readers will forgive my small transgression?

This Chapter was originally planned as the start of the Durmstrang year (as announced in the previous chapter). As you can see, things didn't go quite as planned and I decided to take a little break from Durmstrang and take a look at Hogwarts since it may be awhile before we visit them again (at least three chapters, probably more). I promise next chapter (and the next couple after that) will be complete Durmstrang action. I realize this chapter wasn't too interesting, I apologize. The next chapter will be back at Durmstrang and it will mostly feature our favorite Slytherin ferret, Draco Malfoy. Looking back, I feel his point of view has been slightly neglected; therefore most of next chapter will be Draco with minor input from Hermione. I doubt they'll be another Hogwarts chapter until Chapter 9-ish (maybe later).

I didn't really like this chapter myself, I found it...odd. But I was in a rush to finally get it out and some of these things are necessary for future plot developments.

Pansy and Harry will both play a rather large part in the story, much later on. For right now, they will be left alone for awhile. I'm deciding on whether or not to kill either of them off in the future (both, if I feel particularly homicidal). I'm slightly morbid with my writing. Killing people off tugs at the heart strings. I'm a fan of not so-happy endings. I'm not opposed to them; I just find them so predictable. I haven't decided if this story will have a happy ending yet, I have two different alternatives in my head. I've noticed that many fanfic readers seem to prefer happy, corny endings where everyone ends up in love and alive. I favor the more realistic ending. To each his own, I suppose. Luckily, that doesn't have to be decided right now.

As you can see, Harry isn't quite the happy guy is normally is, quite frankly he's rather dark. I know, I know...creepy emo Harry is kind of a gross character but I needed him that way. The plans I have for him are pretty dark, that's all I will tell you on that front. Hogwarts chapters will mostly be from Harry or Pansy's point of view. I'm not a huge Weasley fan so they will not be featured anywhere that isn't relevant to the plot, which they don't have a huge part in anyways. Ginny is mainly Hermione's female companion, at least until I find someone better. She will also serve as an obstacle for Harry and an annoyance to Blaise. Ron has no major plot significance that I foresee and is one other character I am considering killing off.

Now for some reviews and beloved reviewers

**KimberlynnAstonia** - I'm sorry to say nothing truly exciting happened to Ginny, as mentioned in this chapter. Yeah, sorry about my December 18th promise. I feel so bad, I let everyone down. I'm truly sorry and I'll try to write my next chapters quickly to make up for it. They might be a little shorter so I can get them out faster.

**Pinkicing101** - I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far. I aim to please. If you can think of anything you might want added to the story, please don't hesitate to tell me. Thanks for your support.

**Sangi **- Wow, I love your reviews. They make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Thanks for your support in this story and I'll try to get the next chapters out quickly for you.

I'd also like to thank **sweet.sonata **who helped me force out my creative mojo to finish this chapter with her email. I really appreciate it. Who knows when this would have come out if you hadn't.

I'd like to thank all my reviewers, for the entire story. I feel you deserve recognition for reviewing. I love you all so much.

**KimberlynnAstonia**

**Sangi**

**Pinkicing101**

**bloodwitch88**

**forkslover1**

**Kimmie Said What**

**merecat**

**mizzlanfear**

I want the next chapter to be out in a couple to weeks so until then, cheerio! I'd love more reviews 3

**Review!**


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